Spirit's Revenge
by ShadowFoxMoon
Summary: Bleach X INU Being dead really drains the life out of you, that is until you're forcefully sent into the soul society, thanks to a certain orange-haired, Substitute Shinigami. If she ever sees him again- She'll kill him. Main Pairing: Jushiro Ukitake/Kagome & Heavily Hinted Kagome/Harem
1. Passing On

I do not own Bleach or Inuyasha

**Story**

_Kagome looked down at the ground, a sigh escaping her pale lips. She glanced at the man who was walking beside her, down the broken dirt path. Like always, he was staring ahead with an indifferent expression adorning his face._

"_Sesshomaru?" She called his name. He inclined his head, showing he was listening. "I haven't' been able to sense Miroku or Sango anymore…" Her voice faded, showing her worry. "Do you think those Masked Creatures got them?" She asked him._

"_Those two are strong, for humans." He told her. "I'm sure they just passed on."_

"_You really think so?" _

"_Shouldn't you be doing the same, instead of worrying about others?" He told her in his usual cold voice. "You can't linger in this world forever, Kagome…"_

_She looked away from him, glancing down at the floor once more. She raised her hand and touched the chain that was hanging from her chest. It gave a rattle, before going back to thumping against her body in a soft rhythmic chime with her moments._

"_I know…" She whispered halfheartedly. "I know…"_

Kagome stood beside his bed, smiling as memories of the past flooded her mind. How many years ago has it been? She questioned. Looking at his resting form, she couldn't help but wonder if it really has been that long…

"Sesshomaru." Reaching down, she brushed away some loose silver strand that was hanging in his face. "When did I stop wishing to pass on?" She questioned out loud. "It's been so long, the thought of leaving this world faded from my mind years ago." She finally realized. She gently trailed her fingers over his markings, a soft expression on her face. "Just staying by your side, makes me feel like I'm alive again…" She turned her head and looked out the window, a sigh escaped her lips. "Even if I knew how, I don't want to pass on, and leave you, dear friend." She smiled, before reaching out and tugging on his comforter, pulling it up to his chest so he could stay warm.

He'd been getting old, though he didn't want to admit it. She could tell, for he had been sleeping more often then he use to in the past. Being in such a constant strain of stress from work must really have tired him out. A demon, living in the human world, was not something that came naturally or easily. After all, he was the only demon left still in the human realm. All the others had gone to a new and better world that was fit for their bloody and powerful nature. Yet he chose to stay behind, for her…

If he left, she would have no one else to talk to, and she would be once again alone; wondering the world with a grief stricken heart. Being alone and unable to speak or touch anyone freighted her so much. It felt as if she was in a sea of emptiness, trying to swallow her whole. The day he told her that he was going to stay- She was so happy that she cried.

She smiled, looking at his peaceful expression. Leaving him would be like death all over again- Painful and full of anguish. She reached up, and gripped the chain till her ghostly knuckles grew white.

Looking around the room she felt herself relax again, and she lowered her hand. She shouldn't be worrying, she wasn't going anywhere- She sighed before turning, and walking towards the window.

The moonlight bathed into the room, giving it a surreal glow. The image soothed her, but the dark room felt as if she was confined. She sighed, staring out into the night sky. Tonight was a beautiful night, if only she could enjoy it more- Glancing back towards the man sleeping on the bed, she smiled. He wouldn't mind if she just took a calming stroll…

She then took another step forward and phased through the wall. Once her form was completely on the other side, her body started falling towards the ground. She landed without so much as a sound, as her feet touched the floor gracefully. She then proceeded to take a calming walk around the property.

Sesshomaru owned a large piece of land, and had a beautiful garden she could stare at whenever she wanted. Though she couldn't really plant or tend to the flowers, it still made her happy just watching them bloom and grow. Yet at night she would mostly find herself walking through the small forest that was on his land.

He bought the land many years ago and she had long since forgotten the name of the town it was placed near. She sighed, putting her hand underneath her chin in thought. Ko- Hmm.. Karu- Damn, this was going to bother her all night, she just knew it-

"Karakura!" She announced the name as it suddenly popped into her mind. How did she forget? It was a town stationed on the western side of Tokyo, the mansion placed just inside of its borders, which gave him enough space so he could have his privacy…

She sighed, while reaching up and running her fingers through her hair. As she did so her head tilted back and she gazed into the night sky. Her mind was once again wondering into the past, as her ghostly form walked through the calm forest.

The fact that she was now dead, a lost spirit wondering the land, mostly escaped her thoughts from time to time. Being dead wasn't all that different from before, really. The only thing that changed was the chain that extended from a hole in her chest. That, and the fact that her Miko powers were absent in this bodiless form.

But that didn't prove a problem for her. She was strong without the use of her abilities. Even in this weak ghostly body, she was able to do physical harm to things, which proved to be quite enough when it comes to dealing with those weak 'Masked Creatures.'

After she died those strange beasts had appeared. They started spewing things like 'I want to eat you.' Or some nonsense. Yet right away she realized that she never seen them before she died, and no one else who was living, besides Sesshomaru, could see them either. So she wasn't sure what they were, other than the fact that they couldn't be demons.

She lost count how many of them her and Sesshomaru defeated in the past 500 years- but it was a lot.

She paused in her light walk and looked around. Realizing she walked far enough, she turned around and started going back. She didn't want Sesshomaru to wake up and yell at her when she returned for wandering off again. She gave a soft laugh. That old demon always got upset over something so small. She huffed. What could possible go wrong-

"I finally found you!" A loud and pleased laugh slithered into her ears, as a large shadow fell over her form. "You smell so delicious!" The creature croaked out. "It took me a while, but I found you!"

Kagome gave a tired sigh and turned around, facing the masked beast. Right away she noticed that it was animalistic in appearance, standing on four legs, yet she didn't care about that. She was more interested in the fact that it looked out of shape. It was breathing very heavily, as if it just ran for hours on end, and it was sweating profusely- She didn't even know these beasts _could _sweat.

"What's wrong with you, are you sick? You look horrible." She questioned it with a smirk.

"Shut up!" It roared. "I had this guy on me all night- And now that I found you I'm not going to let you get away!"

"Well, I must say that I am impressed." She told him. "You seem to have a better vocabulary then the others I have come across." The others just gurgled out 'food' or something close to it. So finding one that spoke to her in sentences was quite surprising.

"I told you to shut up!" He roared again.

"How rude." She snorted at him. "You should learn some manners."

"And food shouldn't talk!" He replied.

"I guess I'll just to defeat you real quick before you wake up Sesshomaru."

"You? Defeat me?" He laughed. "Fat chance!" He then reached out with his hand, trying to grab her.

She smirked, and got ready to- The beast suddenly gave a painful gasp, and she watched as its body got split perfectly in two. It gave a loud roar as its body slowly disintegrated into nothing and its floating particles got carried by the wind. She raised a delicate eyebrow at the spot where the creature once stood, confused. What was that?

She looked around, as if expecting to see another magic trick, but was greatly disappointed when nothing else happened. What is going-

"Tch!" Someone gave a pissed snort. "Damn thing, had me chase it halfway across town." An irritated voice spoke up. Turning her head towards the sound, her eyes widened at the image.

"I-Inuyasha?" She whispered in disbelief.

"Inuyasha?" He repeated. "Who's that?"

Slowly the image faded, leaving behind the true figure. A man clad in black, with orange hair. Though his posture was the same, an over-sized sword resting onto his shoulders, with a pissed off expression, it was definitely not him- She sighed. She must be getting senile to confuse the two like that…

"Hey!" She called to him. He just glared at her in annoyance.

"What?" He called back.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked. "He was mine! I could have taken him!"

"Tch." He tried not to laugh. "You? Yeah right!"

"You got a problem with me, carrot-top!" She glared at him. Who he was, and why he was here, she didn't care. She didn't even bother to question how he was able to see her- Right now, she was pissed…

"Carrot-top!" He repeated her words and blinked in surprise. He then growled, a vain showing on his forehead. "Look here-! I just saved your life- Soul- Spirit- Whatever! And all you can do is call me names?"

"You stole my kill!" She stated, while storming up to him and poking him in the chest.

She usually wasn't like this. 500 years had changed her into a more calm and serious person, but this man- She didn't know why, but looking at him pissed her off. It ignited an old flame, that she believed was lost long ago- In fact, she hasn't argued like this with _anyone_ since she died…

"Stop complaining!" He then brought his sword down and stamped the hilt's butt against her forehead. "You should be more grateful…" He mumbled to himself and turned his head away, lowering his voice. "Just go ahead and rest in peace, alright? Gees, trying to be nice and this is what I get…"

"What are you going on about-" Suddenly a blue lighted symbol appeared below her, and her body started to glow. "What's going on!" She questioned while looking down at her hands in worry, seeing that they were starting to become even more transparent than usual.

"I just helped you, so you can finally pass on to the spirit realm, where you belong." He told her, a smile on his face.

"P-pass on…" She repeated in fear. W-what? "No…" She whispered. She raised her trembling hands to her cheeks. "No…" Her eyes dilated and started to tremor back and forth, showing just how freighted she truly was. She tried to move, but her legs were paralyzed. Her knees buckled and she landed on her bottom, onto the grassy floor. "NO!" She screamed in horror, and tears burst from her eyes.

"Hey- What's wrong?" He questioned, while raising his hand towards her in confusion.

"SESSHOMARU!"

* * *

><p>A loud roar sounded throughout the area, waking the once slumbering demon lord from his dreamless rest. Snapping his eyes open, he quickly sat up and looked around the room. Noticing a familiar ghostly woman was no longer present, he sighed and threw the covers off of him, getting out of bed.<p>

"What trouble has she gotten herself into now?" He questioned while walking towards the balcony and going outside. "That woman, she purposely finds ways to infuriate me…" He slowly scanned the area with his piercing golden orbs. "I would kill her myself, if she wasn't already dead."

Of course… he meant that in the kindest way possible- Or not…

"…" He then gracefully jumped off the railing and landed onto the grassy floor below. Not even bothering to change out of his Pajama bottoms, he ran through the forest as is, shirtless, and extremely irritated form being woken up from his rest…

His form whizzed by the trees in an intangible blur. At his demonic speed, he was at the area within a few seconds. He paused, glancing around with his cold and uncaring façade.

"Hmm…" He thought for sure the sound originated from this location-

"SESSHOMARU!" Kagome's horrified shrill thundered into his ears. He quickly whipped his head in the direction.

"Kagome…" He whispered her name and flew towards the noise, his eyes pulsing red.

Seeing a blue-ish glow shining ahead, he sped up, bursting through a thin wall of brush. What he saw made his cold heart cease beating, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Kagome!" He called for her.

Her head shot up, and she looked towards his direction. Tears were tumbling down her eyes in waves, and what was still visible of her body was shaking in fear- As she was slowly disappearing into nothing.

"Sesshomaru!" She shouted to him franticly, while stretching her hand out for him.

He was by her side in an instant, and reached out to touch her. Yet his hand went clear through her body, and on contact it burst into tiny particles of light. He watched helplessly as they slowly floated into the air, and the blue symbol disappeared from the ground.

"…!" His eyes turned into slits, as they stared at the spot where she once was.

A small shifting by his side caught his attention and he spun around, hoisting the man by the throat. The orange haired man gasped in surprise, and raised his hands, gripping his wrist, a failed attempt to try and free himself from his hold. Sesshomaru just dug his claws deeper into the man's neck mercilessly, while he growled, fangs slowly enlarging.

"Foolish human!" He hissed out. His eyes bleeding into red from rage, his control slowly slipping away- "What have you done!"

* * *

><p><strong><em>Story Note<em>**_:_ Hey guys, ShadowFoxMoon here. I know I usual don't have multiple multi-chapter stories going on at the same time, it's not my style, but I thought I would do something different.

All my new multi-chapter story ideas:

Weakness: **DragonballZ/INU**

Lost At Sea: **OnePiece/INU**

Spirit's Revenge: **Bleach/INU**

Lion-o and Tygra and Romance, Oh My: **ThunderCats/INU**

Hyrule's Goddess of Light: **Zelda Twilight Princess/INU**

The first chapters are all going to be posted, and I'm going to put up a poll and you can vote for your two favorites, on which one I should work on first/add more chapters to.

**Fun 'n Games At Ouran**is still a long way from finishing, but I figure if I start the poll now, by the time it is finished, I'll know who wants to read what stories more and which one to work on first by then.

So if you liked this story, read the others and vote for your favorite on my **profile!**


	2. I'm Alive

Unbeta-ed

_**Story**_

_Kagome was staring at the man before her, a look of longing and love overtaking her expressions like a flood, obvious to anyone who could see. She couldn't take her eyes off of him, and a smile appeared on her face._

_His body, arms, and half of his face was covered in bandages, as he stood beside her, wearing just his pants. His once long silver hair was cut, chopped off during the battle. _

"_I like your hair like that." She found herself voicing her thoughts. "I think this is the first time I've ever saw your bare neck." She gave a nervous laugh, trying to lighten the mood. "Sango did a good job on it." She reached her hand up slowly, as if to touch it, but then she paused. "…" A movement on the top of his head caught her attention and she smiled, seeing his two triangle ears twitch._

_Inuyasha sighed, and reached up to touch his bandaged eye. _

_A small frown appeared on her face. "Must have hurt." She lowered her hand and shifted in her spot. "Inuyasha…" She called his name sadly and looked away. "You know… I…" She nibbled on her lower lip. "I love you." She looked back up at him, serious. _

"_Kagome…" He whispered her name, his expression softening slightly._

"…_?" She hummed when she heard him call to her. _

"_I'm sorry." He shook his head. She almost laughed at his words._

"_There's nothing to be sorry about-"_

"_I love you…" He confessed. His words caused her to blush and look away from him. "I think that I always have, but I was too stupid to notice…"_

"_Well, you __**are**__ pretty oblivious to that kind of stuff." She smiled to herself. _

"_I'm so sorry that I realized it too late." He sighed, lowering his gaze to the fresh earth. Reaching up, he grabbed the bandage that was coving his left eye, and harshly ripped it off, revealing the large scar that went down his eye and ending at his jaw. She gave a small hiss at the image. "I know losing my eye is not enough of a punishment for what I did."_

"_Inuyasha, please, don't say things like that…" She frowned at his words._

"_I broke my promise and couldn't protect you." He took hold of the prayer beads around his neck, and slowly brought them up and over his head, removing them. He looked down at them sadly. "You use to always sit me, and I would hate you for it." His grip around the necklace tightened until his knuckles turned white. "What I wouldn't give to hear you say 'sit' just one more time." He laughed to himself, yet it was filled with so much sadness, it was more of a weak chuckle. _

"_What do you mean? I'm right here…" She placed her hand over her chest, a rattle echoing in her ears, as her hand came in contact with the chain sticking out of the gaping hole in her chest. She looked down at the chain sadly, before gripping it disparately and started to tug on it. _

"_I miss your voice, your smile. I swear I could sometimes hear you, even though I know you are not there…" _

"_I'm right here!" She shouted, her eyes already starting to sting as tears began to form in them. _

"_I'm sorry we couldn't make a proper grave." He bent down, placing the beads on top the unmarked grave. "We couldn't risk your future you, seeing it." He frowned. "Something about changing stuff—I couldn't really understand a word Miroku was saying, really, but—" He frowned. "If this is the outcome, I think the future __**should **__change." He slowly stood back up, sighing. _

"_Why do you keep talking as if I'm gone?" Her eyebrows angled together in anger. "I'm right here!" She growled, feeling frustrated. The emotions of not being seen, not being heard, came back, and she shook her head. "Stop ignoring me!" She screamed. "Talk to me!" She yelled. "I'm right here!" She kept repeating over and over again for weeks, yet they never heard her._

"_Rest in peace." He spoke his last words, before turning away from the grave, and finally facing her._

"_I'm right—" Her words were cut short when he walked forwards, his body going right through hers, and he continued on his way. _

_She looked down at the ground, her eyes wide with fear, trembling back and forth. Her knees gave in and she crumbled onto the floor. She wailed as she buried her face into the grass and cried. She gripped her head tightly, as she thrashed her head back and forth in the dirt, sobbing out in frustration. _

_I'm here…_

There was a sharp inhale of air, her fingers digging into the soil, and her eyes snapped open with a jolt. Her lungs continued to inhale the air, about fit to burst at any moment, her eyes wide in fear and shock. When she finally exhaled the huge amount of oxygen, the deadly grip on the dirt released slowly and the clumps fell from her palm, free from her grasp.

She rose up, as if from the dead, yet when she sat up, her upper body slumped greatly, her head hanging down and her chin almost touching her chest as she stared down into her lap, her hands limply resting by her side.

Tears started to swell in her eyes, and she reached up, rubbing her face with her dirt filled hands, successfully covering it with blotches of brown smudges. She took several more deep breathes to try and calm herself.

It has been a long time since she's thought of that…

"I'm here…" She mumbled to herself as she finally felt herself relax from its shocked state. "I know I'm here, because Sesshomaru can see me." She ran her hand through her hair and sighed. "I'm not alone." She shook her head. "Even though I'm dead, he can see me…"She started repeating the same thing over—"I'm not alone." And over. "I'm not alone." She reached up to the center of her chest, and holding the chain, a nervous habit. "I'm not—" She paused, unclenching her fingers when she no longer felt the cold touch of the chain, and instead felt soft fabric against her palm. She glanced down in confusion, not seeing the cold metal, nor the gaping hole placed in the middle of her chest anymore. She raised her head, and glanced around, seeing a large group of people surrounding her sitting form, whispering amongst themselves, some even pointing at her. "Alone?"

She looked at all the people who were openly staring at her, and she tilted her head in thought. They can see me?

She glanced at herself once more, seeing that her flesh was no longer ghostly pale. She reached up and touched her face, feeling slight warmth beneath her fingers. She examined her clothes, touching her white buttoned up dress shirt, and tugged on her black slacks. She smiled to herself, clicking her boots together as her legs were stretched out in front of her, the sound making her smile spread wider and wider with every second that past.

"I'm alive!" Within moments she was standing on her feet, and spread her arms out wide, laughing to herself—

Yet she wasn't the only one laughing, for everyone else standing around her was laughing as well… yet they weren't laughing with her, so that could only mean—

"The idiot thinks she's alive!" One of the men roared out, pointing at her while holding his stomach.

"HA I knew she would say it! I win! Pay up!" Another man had his hat held in his hand, and several other people grumbled while placing what looked like money into his upturned hat.

"Wait." Kagome paused. "I'm not alive?"

"No. You're dead!" The man laughed. "D-e-d! Dead!" He slapped his knee, and laughed harder, finding it funny. "Just like the rest of us!"

Kagome's eyes narrowed at him, before she got a better look at her surroundings. She was in a town of sorts, where the buildings, if she would have to take a guess, was closer to the Meiji Era in terms of level of advancement in technology—

A flash of orange went across her vision and she growled, her hands balling into fists by her side as the memories hit her hard. Midnight stroll. Monster. Carrot-top then—

"_SESSHOMARU!"_

She reached over, grabbing the man's shirt and harshly pulling him towards her. She placed her face close to his as she glared down at the man, rage burning in her orbs. Some of the money in his hat spilled out, falling onto the ground around her feet.

Her powers flared, her body glowing a soft pink. The jewel hanging around her neck reacting to her call, and hummed against the flesh of her exposed chest just above her bosom.

"Where am I?" Her tone was cold, harsh, and deadly serious.

Most of the people standing around instantly became still. The man in her grasp suddenly found the situation not as amusing as he first thought, and he gulped.

* * *

><p>"This is it?" She found herself standing before an extremely tall wall. She cranked her neck, just to try and look at the top of it.<p>

"Yes." The man stood beside her nervously.

"I'll find a Shinigami here?"

"Yes, you will find one there."

"How will I know when I find one? What do they look like?"

"Oh, you'll know…" He mumbled under his breath, and she narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion when she saw a small smile creep across his face.

"You're not lying to me, are you?" She glared at him, yet he just shook his head.

"I swear to you, there is definitely a Shinigami there." She couldn't detect any falseness in his words, but there was just something… **off**, with how he was saying it—yet she couldn't put her finger on it. "If you find a way in, that is."

"I can't go in?"

"No." He shook his head, before pointing to the side. Kagome looked, and spotted a very large man—no, he had to be some sort of giant, standing by a gate, several football fields away down the very long stretch of wall. "He guards the gate—Normal people are not allowed in."

"Oh, then I guess I'll just have to jump the fence."

"Fence?" The man snorted. "That's not a fence, It's a fortress wall." Kagome rolled her eyes at him, and then bent down, stretching her legs and getting out whatever kinks that might be in her muscles from it's 500 years of not properly excising them. "There's no way you can jump a wall—" The man paused when he felt a breeze blow around him. He turned, only to raise an eyebrow when he no longer saw anyone standing beside him anymore. He looked up, and his eyes almost bulged out of his head when he saw a small dot standing onto the top of the wall, waving at him. The man slowly raised his hand, returning the wave in a daze.

"Now, to find that portal to the human realm…" Kagome turned, placing her hand on her hips triumphantly. She cringed when the sight that was revealed to her was a ridiculously huge area that looked more like a maze than anything else. She felt the weight of doubt hit her in the chest and she groaned. "How am I going to find a Shinigami here!" She motioned to the huge maze-like obstacle course that went as far as the eye could see below where she was standing. She looked further up, and saw a huge structure in the distance, placed at the end of the maze and she sighed. "When I find one, I swear— The Shinigami better show me how to get home."

She grumbled as she took a few steps, going to the edge. The jewel around her neck glowed, and she felt pressure surrounding her. After another step it suddenly vanished and she raised an eyebrow. Was that a barrier? She glanced over her shoulder, seeing a small shimmer of power behind her. She shrugged, deciding that it was not worth caring about, since she got through it…

She jumped off of the wall, feeling the wind whipping around her as she quickly descended. She landed on top of the wall with a thud, deciding that it would be faster if she just cheated and ran across the roof.

As she ran across the shingles that were placed on top of the wall, a picture of a certain silver-haired demon lord appeared in her mind and she smiled to herself.

"Don't worry Sesshomaru…" Kagome mumbled under her breath. "I'll find my way back." The image was quickly replaced by an orange-haired male and she growled. "And when I do, I'm going to kill the man who sent me here!"

* * *

><p>A loud siren was blaring through the air, and movement was stirred up below. Kagome reached up, rubbing her throbbing ear to try and help with the ringing that was now echoing inside of her skull from the deafening sound of the alarm.<p>

It seems they know she was here…

How did they possibly found out so quickly-? The image of the man who led her to this place suddenly appeared in her mind, giving her the answer. She growled, knowing that the snitch ratted on her, and told someone she snuck inside-

She skid to a halt, then quickly lowered her body, lying flat on her stomach against the rough humps of the shingles on the roof. Several people suddenly ran beneath her at top speed, the bald man leading them having an excited grin on his face, wishing to be the first to find the intruder.

After they ran past her, she sighed and pushed herself back up to her feet. She once again was on the run, as she jumped over the wide gap and hopped from building to building.

Hope she finds a Shinigami soon, because she wasn't sure how long she could keep up this game of hind-and-seek.

* * *

><p>Jushiro Ukitake, captain of the 13th division, was at his family's estate, Ugendo. He was lying in bed, propped up, while reading a rather interesting book, trying to keep himself entertained while his body rested, feeling weaker than usual the past couple of days.<p>

Deciding not to push himself, he has been relaxing at the estate and recuperating. His lieutenant was sent to the human world a while ago on a mission, and other then Shunsui coming to visit him every few days, nothing new or exciting has been happening…

That's when he heard it—The soft hum of the alarm piercing through the air like thunder. He paused in his book, turning his eyes away from the pages and over at the window that was opened beside his bed.

By the time the loud warning reached his room, the sound was nothing but a soft whisper in the wind, but he could still hear it. That alarm could only mean one thing, there was an intruder—or several intruders, inside the borders of Seireitei.

How they got past the spiritual barrier, he was not completely sure, but he did know one thing… He probably shouldn't be lying in bed at a significant moment like this.

Bending the corner of the page, to keep his place, he sighed, before slowly closing his book and laying it down on the bed beside him. He turned his lower half of his body, so that it was hanging off the edge of the bed, and he got out. The movement caused the covers that was lying over his legs to fall off his lap, and draped down the side of the bed, touching the hardwood flooring.

He calmly walked over to his desk, and picked up his zanpakuto. As he was walking over to the door, there was a soft knock on the hard wooden surface, and he paused. Another set of knocks snapped him out of his confusion, and he continued his way to the door. When he reached it, he opened it widely without hesitation.

Once he saw who it was, a small smile appeared on his face at seeing his old friend.

"I see you are up." Shunsui hummed, pushing up the rim of his hat ever so slightly. "I take it that you heard the alarm?"

"Yes." Ukitake nodded. "Do you know the details of what is going on?"

"I hear that it is a woman." The words caused a sly grin to appear on his face and Ukitake tried not to shake his head at him.

"Just one woman?" This seemed to peak his interest a little. How did she get in Seireitei?

"It probably won't be long before she is caught and questioned." Shunsui reached out, patting his shoulder with a concerned look in his eyes. "So you shouldn't worry about it, and leave it to us. You should get some rest."

"You came here just to make sure I stayed in bed." He stated, more then asked.

"Maybe." Shunsui rested his hand on Ukitake's shoulders. The white haired male sighed, knowing that his friend was right.

"Very well…" The grip on his zanpakuto tightened. "I'll stay here and continue to rest."

"Good." He gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze, before finally removing it. "I'll come back and give you all the details after everything has settled down."

He watched as Shunsui turned and walked away from him, leaving him standing alone. Trying to calm himself, Ukitake took a long and deep breath—He coughed, and reached up with his free hand to cover his mouth. The breath of air he just inhaled all came out in a fit of coughs, one right after another, until his lungs were completely empty, yet he was still coughing. He forced himself to breathe, needing the air in his lungs, gasping as he held his throat, and a burning sensation started in his neck.

His free hand was on his throat, his face twisted with a look of pain, as he closed his bedroom door slowly with the same hand that still held his zanpakuto. He walked over to his bed, and sat down on the mattress.

He scooted himself back into the spot he was in before, his back pressed against the headboard once more. He closed his eyes and sighed, feeling his body relax and the burning sensation finally starting to release its strangle hold on his throat.

He placed his zanpakuto beside him, his blade leaned against the mattress, and within arm's reach. Reaching over, he felt for the familiar feeling of the leather beneath his fingertips, and he picked up his book. He opened his eyes just as he felt for the corner of the bent page he stopped at, his vision greeted with ink covered pages and a small smile appeared on his face.

Yet even though he was smiling softly to himself, trying to enjoy the book held within his hands, the soft sound of the alarm was still humming in his ears, coming from his open window. His emerald eyes held a small twinge of guilt in them, knowing that while he was lying in his room, reading a book, the other Shinigami was trying their best to hunt down the intruder that somehow snuck into Seireitei.

* * *

><p>Kagome rounded the corner, and pressed herself against the wall, hiding in the shadows. She narrowed her eyes when she saw several blurs run past her spot. When the coast was clear, she leaned back out and glanced in one direction, then the other. Once she knew it was safe, she sighed, and then stepped out of the darkness.<p>

These people are persistent!

She continued her run down the pathway, unsure of which direction she was headed. Now that she was on the ground, it was a lot harder to figure out which way to go, without the advantage of high ground. Yet she tried her best, while dodging the people who were hunting her down as if it were some sort of game or a way to amuse themselves and pass the time.

She has done pretty good so far, and the longer she has been running, the more she has noticed that the blaring alarm has becoming less and less annoying the more distance she puts between herself and the cause of the ear ringing nose—

Sensing someone approaching her direction at high speed, she quickly hid herself in the shadows again. She stepped into the darkness, and it wasn't a moment too soon, for a person appeared, standing where she once was just a second ago. Kagome raised an eyebrow when she caught a glimpse of a man with a straw hat, and a pink Kimono draped across his shoulders.

The people here are so strange… She couldn't help but think as she continued to stare at the man.

He raised his hand, placing it under his chin as if he was thinking about something, and he hummed. Kagome knew it would be best if she got out of there as soon as possible, before he turned his head and spotted her—Yet she didn't have much options of escape.

She placed her hand against the wall, and growled inside of her head, wondering why she was unable to pass through it like she did so many times before—Wasn't she technically still dead? How come she can't go through the walls anymore? Deciding now wasn't the best time to argue about the laws of dead-physics, she stared to back away from the male, going further into the darkness to conceal herself.

Once she was far enough away, she leaped into the air, and landed on the shingled roofing without making a single nose. She felt rather proud of herself, and then made some distance between herself and the pink samurai.

She jumped down, landing on the other side of the wall.

Shunsui removed his hand from under his chin, lifting his hat just enough so he could glance out of the corner of his eyes, towards the rooftop where the lovely lady slipped away. He hummed, lowering his hat back down and shading his eyes, a sly smirk spreading across his face.

* * *

><p>Kagome paused, surprised to find grass beneath her boots when she landed. She crouched down, and reached out, touching the green blades with a look of awe across her face. Plants grow in the spirit realm?<p>

She hummed to herself, when a thought came to her mind. That's right, they called this place something else, didn't they? Soul society? The place she is in now, is the center headquarters, or something like that—Seireitei, that's what that man said, if she wasn't mistaken.

"Oh well." She pulled out a single blade, and stood up, the piece of grass still held within her fingers. "It doesn't matter I suppose." She began rubbing the blade between her thumb and pointer finger, enjoying how the plant felt under her touch—Something she hasn't felt in almost 500 years. "I have to concentrate on finding my way back home."

She was once again focused, as she walked across the yard, and turned the corner around the house—

"Holy …!" Kagome eyes widened, the blade of grass that was between her fingers slipped out. Her eyes started to sparkle with life, as she looked out at the scenery before her.

The place was huge! She gasped in pure amazement as she walked several feet into the ridiculously huge back yard. It wasn't as big as Sesshomaru's, but the fact was, she wasn't expecting such a grand area in a place like this. Was she at a lord's house or something?

She couldn't help but wonder as she stared at all the plants, trees, and even the large lake that was in the center of the yard—She raised an eyebrow when she saw a huge fish jump out of the water to catch a flying bug that was above the surface. Was that a carp?

Animals where in the spirit realm too? She reached up and scratched her head, wondering why this place seemed so different than what she always imagined it would be.

She was in the spirit realm, for Pete's sake! She was expecting clouds underneath her feet, or something unreal, but this- It seems so… _human_—Earthly, if she could dare say it.

Speaking of earth…

An image of a certain sliver haired demon lord appeared in her mind again and she sighed. She has to get back to earth right away, before he gets too lonely without her and missed her…

Even though he would never admit it.

* * *

><p>Kagome was taking a stroll on the wooden walkway that went around the outside of the house, taking comfort in the shade from the extended roof. This place seemed different than the other buildings she has come across while she was running. Maybe she will find a Shinigami here?<p>

Kagome closed her eyes and sighed, thinking, hoping that she will be home sometime soon. She glanced to the side, expecting to see a tall white haired male beside her, yet her heart ached when no one was by her side, enjoying the small stroll with her.

Her eyes lowered, and she reached up, touching the jewel that now dangled just above her bosom. She fiddled with it between her thumb and pointer, watching it shimmer beneath the sun's rays.

Hard to believe that such a small jewel, caused such a headache to not only her, but many of the people that was unfortunate enough to come across it— A flash of sliver was seen in the corner of her vision, and her head turned with a sharp snap, her heart soaring up to her throat.

Sesshomaru?

Yet the image of her demon lord quickly disappeared, and her fingers wrapped tightly around the jewel, as disappointment sank into her chest. She was left standing there, staring at the grassy yard with a dark look overtaking her expression—She paused when a soft noise broke her depressing thoughts.

What was that? She looked around, trying to figure out where it came from. Sounded like something fluttering—The sound came again, and she angled her eyebrows together in thought. Almost like… paper?

She glanced over her shoulder, and curiosity flashed through her blue orbs when she spotted an open window. She walked up to the edge of the window, and placed her hand against the wall. She leaned out, peeking just enough to look into the room— She gasped, and she quickly raised her hand to cover her parted lips.

"Sesshomaru…" She couldn't help that his name slipped out, as she stared at the white haired man before her.

He was lying in a bed, which was conveniently enough, right by the window. He was propped up against the headboard, the thin sheets pulled up to his lap, while he was reading a book that was held in his hand. His long white hair was cascading down his back, some draping over his shoulders.

He calmly reached out and turned the page in his book, the familiar sound entering her ears and she smiled. So that was what the noise was…

His emerald eyes were completely focused on the book before him, darting back and forth as he quickly read the page. A calm and gentle aura was surrounding him, which was completely different from the demon lords, but Kagome couldn't help herself when she imaged that it was Sesshomaru sitting before her.

Suddenly a soft expression appeared on his face and he smiled—Kagome's eyes were filled with warmth, and she could feel heat rising into her cheeks at the sight. It must be an interesting book…

Kagome suddenly looked down in thought, before she placed her hand under her chin. She glanced over at the grassy yard, wondering if she should talk to him. He seemed nice enough, maybe he could help her?

She glanced back over at the male sitting on the bed. She took a deep breath and sighed. It was worth a shot, if it meant she'll be able to find a way home…

"Hello." The word fell from her lips as she walked out in the open, revealing herself, her hand still placed on the frame of the window.

Ukitake paused in his reading. Did he just hear something? He glanced over, yet raised both his eyebrows in surprise when he saw a woman standing in front of his window.

He didn't even sense her… Where did she come from?

"Hello." She repeated, removing her hand from the side of his window frame, and placing it on the bottom frame instead, supporting herself as she leaned a little into the room.

"Hello?" He knew a confused look was on his face as he blinked at the woman.

She just smiled at him and he hummed. The woman was barely an arm's reach away from him, and he couldn't help but take in her features. Raven hair, blue eyes, her attire was not that of a Shinigami, which was more than a little odd—He paused, when a thought flashed in his mind, the soft sound of the alarm barely humming in the background reminding him.

"_I hear that it is a woman." _Shunsui's voice echoed in his mind.

The intruder was a woman. He repeated as he looked at her. If the fact that he has not seen her before did not give her away, her outfit set off more than enough warnings for him.

Slowly, he moved his hand, reaching for his zanpakuto that was still leaning against his bed, without alarming the girl with what he was doing. He continued to stare into her blue orbs, hoping to distract her so she couldn't see his hand reaching for his blade.

He wasn't sure what this woman was wanting in Seireitei. She didn't seem violent or wanting to do any harm, but he wished to have his blade in his hand, in case she should strike at him.

The woman leaned a little closer to him, and he caught the scent of vanilla floating towards him. "I didn't mean to disturb your reading." As she spoke, his hand inched closer and closer to his blade. "But I was wondering if you could help me?"

"Help you?" He kept his eyes trained on her, his hand finally brushing across the hilt of his weapon. His fingers wrapped around his hilt—He froze in his movements when the next words came out of her mouth.

"Do you know where I can find a Shinigami?"

* * *

><p>Merry late Christmas everyone! Hope you enjoyed the update!<p>

I was thinking about making this story Ukitake/Kagome/Dark Ichigo/Ichigo/Byakuya Lol as you can tell I still haven't decided where to take the pairings. XD

Please give me your input, and tell me what you think, and who Kagome should be with.


	3. Shinigami I Found One

Unbeta-ed

_**Story**_

Ukitake felt himself almost fall off of his bed in surprise by the woman's comment, but he quickly stopped before he made a fool of himself. He removed his hand from the hilt of his sword, and instead chose to place it over his mouth, as he tried to stifle the chuckle that was now slipping from his pale lips.

"What's so funny?" Her tone gave away her confusion, as he continued to chuckle.

Does she truly not know?

"A Shinigami?" His small bouts of weak laughter had subsided as he glanced back towards the woman, amusement dancing in his emerald orbs. "If you don't mind me asking, why would you wish to see one?"

"I need one, so I can go home." She told him.

"Home?" Ukitake became more serious, and he flipped his book over, laying it face down on his lap. "Are you lost?"

"Yes—I mean, no." She angled her eyebrows together in thought as she looked at the ground. "I just want to go back home—I left someone…" She paused for a great length of time, when she finally spoke, her voice held much sadness. "I didn't even get to say goodbye." She looked back at him, and Ukitake was surprised to see determination shining fiercely in her blue orbs.

"I see." She must have just arrived at Soul Society. "So by 'home' you mean-?"

"I was told that there was a gate that can take me back to the human realm."

"And that's why you need a Shinigami." Ukitake voice what he already deduced.

"Only they can open it, right?" She leaned into his room once again, curious as she watched him closely.

"That's correct." He nodded. "But let me ask you another question." He placed his hands one on top of the other, over his book. The girl blinked at him, unsure. "Do you know where you are?"

"Seireitei." Ukitake was surprised she answered the question correctly, and he raised an eyebrow, curious.

"Yet you don't know where to find a Shinigami?"

"I was told to just look in Seireitei." She shrugged. "The guy acted like it would be real easy, but it's hard to find one when I don't know what they look like—" His chuckling caused the woman to pause, and huff at his reaction. "You're laughing at me again. "

"But you've already meet a Shinigami." His comment caused her to raise an eyebrow at him, taken by surprise. "How could you not know what they look like?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well." He placed his hand back on top of the other, and smiled at her. "One of Shinigami's jobs, is to find wandering souls, and send them to Soul Society. So if you are here, that means a Shinigami sent you here—"

"_**Carrot-top**_!" Her sudden surprised shout caused him to blink at her. Carrot-top? "You mean- **Him**!" A look of rage flashed in her orbs and Ukitake raised an eyebrow at her. "He was a Shinigami!" Kagome suddenly froze, before she mumbled something under her breath. "He looked… normal." She glanced back towards Ukitake. "He didn't look like what I thought a Shinigami would look like. He looked—_**Human**_."

"What did you expect?" Delight was dancing once again in the captain's green pools. "A black robed skeleton with a scythe?"

"Well… Yes." Her blunt statement made him smile softly at her.

"Does that mean all Shinigami look human?" Her comment made his smile grow a little, and he nodded. "That means that can be anyone-?" He nodded again, watching her slowly calculate what all of this could possibly mean. "But how could I find a Shinigami so easily here, if they look like normal people…?" Ukitake gave a small hum when he watched her freeze, as if a thought came into her mind and her head snapped towards him in a blur, staring at him with wide-eyes. "That's why you were laughing at me!" She pointed to him, and he couldn't help but chuckle in amusement, at her reaction to finally figuring it all out. "You're a Shinigami, aren't you!"

"I would be lying if I said 'no'…" He placed his hand up to his lips, and he felt his throat get dry, yet he still had a small on his face, after he stopped laughing. "In fact, everyone here in Seireitei is a Shinigami." He coughed to clear his throat, as he felt a familiar burning sensation start to tingle in his neck. "After all, Seireitei is where all Shinigami reside."

Her blue orbs became flamed with joy and victory as she stared at him, leaning over into his room with a bright smile on her face. "If you are a Shinigami, that means you can take me back home!" This fact seemed to fill her with so much happiness she was practically glowing.

"I'm sorry, but I can't." He was forced to break her high spirits.

"Why not?" She questioned him.

"It's against the rules." He told her. "Only Shinigami can go through the gate to the human realm."

"Screw the rules." She huffed. "You have money." What does money have to do with anything? He couldn't help but question the strange girl's comment. "I mean, look at this place." She raised her arms in the air to insinuate the place he was currently resting in. "You are living in a mansion."

"It's not that strange to find similar places like this one. There are in fact several estates like my own in Seireitei, but that's beside the point." He sighed. "I still can't send you to the human world."

"Aww, come on." She pleaded, pouting towards him.

He picked his book back up, and held it in his hand as his eyes fell back towards the pages. "If you leave now, I will not report you." He told her.

"So you are threatening to put me in jail if I don't leave?"

"You are trespassing, and if you are caught, you will most likely be killed…" He informed her.

"Killed?" She seemed surprised by this.

"You are on divine land." He reminded her. "Breaking the rules has heavy punishments."

"So…" Her voice held a sad tone laced within. "You are not going to help me because you are a coward."

Her words hit a soft spot and he flinched. He did not like being called something so low. He looked away from his book and back towards the window, going to correct the woman, but then paused when she wasn't there.

She was gone…

* * *

><p>Kagome was sitting on the shingles of one of the many walls connecting the endless maze. As she looked out, she could see the great wall far into the distance, stretching around the area like a barrier blocking everything from the rest of the world.<p>

She glanced behind her shoulder, and looked at the large estate she was just in moments before, and her mind started to ache as her brain begin to churn, getting overused after so many years of it not truly functioning. She gave a small groan, as she reached up and placed her hand to the side of her temple to quell the throbbing.

It's been a while since she has had a headache—over 500 years, in fact.

It was that stupid Shinigami's fault. If he would just take her back home like she wanted, her life would go back to normal—well, her after-life, if you wanted to get technical.

"At least that annoying alarm has stopped." She was counting her blessings, because she wasn't sure how much more assault her brain could take without it exploding at this point. The sound would only make it worse.

She replayed in her head over and over again the encounter with the Shinigami. The white haired one, because if she thought of the orange one—

"Ouch." She gave another hiss as her mind throbbed as if it was just stabbed. She held her head in pain and groaned.

Every time she thought of him, her headache would just get worse, so she tried not to dwell on the carrot-eater for now and try to think of a way back home.

Mr. White, as she so intelligently named the book-reader, is her only real chance on how to get home. It is obvious she wasn't supposed to be in Seireitei, if she was caught she would probably be killed. She paused and glanced back over her shoulder with a hum.

Yet that man didn't try to take her in or kill her, even though he had his sword by his side—She wasn't stupid, she saw it, but even though he had the chance he never tried to attack her… Why?

Maybe he was nice? She tried to think of a good reason. Yet he isn't nice enough to help her go back home. She shrugged. He could be the honorable 'not a rule breaker' type. That or he could be killed just for helping her to get back home, and he would rather keep his life… well, after-death-life.

Whichever the reason is- He values his life or he just respects the rules, one thing is obvious: He was her only way back home…

She glanced back over her shoulder and sighed deeply. Now she just has to convince him…

* * *

><p>Ukitake sighed as he stood by the edge of the pond, looking down at the calm waters with nothing particular going through his mind. He grabbed a pinch of the food that was in the palm of his hand, and tossed the crumbs out onto the water, watching the particles float on the surface.<p>

A small smile appeared on his face when he saw shadows appear below the water, becoming clear as they rose closer to the surface, before finally the fish began to feed upon the food generously. He grabbed another small pinch, before throwing that into the pond as well—

"Is this what you do all day?" The sudden voice by his ear caused him to tense up in surprise, before he blinked and turned his head to look towards the sound, only to find a face mere inches away from his. She was smiling up at him, her deep blue pools reminding him much of the water that was before him.

"What are you still doing here?" He couldn't help but ask as a confused look crossed his features.

"Are you happy that I haven't been caught yet?" She tilted her head at him, her smile never leaving her as she watched his every movement with a keen eye.

"I warned you that if you didn't leave I would be forced to take you in—"

"You are not going to do that." She stated. He couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, questioning her. She just continued to smile, before finally pulling away from him and out of his personal zone. She looked over towards the water with a deep look in her eyes as she stood beside him. "If you take me in, they will kill me." She repeated what he told her earlier. "Yet I know you wouldn't do that, because you are a nice person, Shinigami, whatever."

"How can you be so sure?" He felt himself at odds with this strange woman, unsure of how to respond to her. What was she getting at?

"If you wanted to kill me you could have back in your bedroom, with your sword." She informed him that she saw his weapon.

He gave a small sigh of defeat, before taking another small handful of the pellets, and throwing them into the water. "So you have found out that I am secretly a nice person." He glanced out of the corner of his eyes. "That is very dangerous information. What could you possibly do with that?"

She smiled to herself, and reached out, grabbing her own pinch of the food that was piled onto his palm. She casually threw the bait into the pond with a hum. "I am going to go home…"

* * *

><p>"Are you going to take me home now?" Hearing the now familiar feminine voice caused the captain to lower his book, placing it onto his lap with a defeated sigh.<p>

"Every time you ask, what has been my answer?" He questioned the woman, as he started into her deep blue pools, as she sat Indian-style at the foot of his bed, staring at him.

"Yes?"

"No." He shook his head and raised his book back up— The movement was halted when a hand placed top of the book, her slender fingers spreading over the pages.

"Maybe we've got off on the wrong foot?" He glanced up, but faltered when he spotted that her dress shirt was hanging low and he could see her obviously endowed assesses. "K…me-?" She was on all fours, leaning over so that she could reach his book, but the position caused her shirt to hang low revealing to him—He gave a small cough and glanced away. "Are… listen- …to me?"

He blinked and looked back over towards her, and thankfully she was sitting up again, with her hands placed on her knees.

"Excuse me." He shook his head to try and empty his mind. He reached up and placed his hand over his head and sighed. "I wasn't paying attention."

"Of course not, you were too busy looking at my boobs." Her comment caused him to cough in uneasiness and he could feel a flush of heat gathering into his cheeks. He glanced over and saw that her hands were now resting on her hips and she huffed at him.

"I assure you I was not trying to, but your strange attire is very revealing—" Hearing a soft laughter caused him to pause in his sentence and glance at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Trust me, this is not revealing…" She waved it off as if it were not big deal. "I use to ware this skirt…" Her voice faded, as if she was recalling an old memory. She smiled to herself before shaking her head. "I saw a few women around as I was trying to hide, and I have to point out that they were way more revealing then I am." She confessed. "There was this orange haired girl…" She reached her hands up to her chest, cupping them far outwards to insinuate something "When she ran they just… _jiggled_." Ukitake sighed.

She must be talking about Matsumoto…

"My name is Kagome Higurashi." He paused and looked back towards the woman. "Since you weren't paying attention, this is the second time I have told you my name." He looked at her, curious. What is she doing? Why is she even bothering to tell him her name? "This is the part where you tell me your name, I mean, it's only fair considering you were staring at my tits a few minutes ago, I figured we should at least introduce ourselves before anything else goes any further." Her words caused another rush of blood to invade his cheeks and he placed his hand over his mouth as he coughed.

He took a several short breaths to quell the familiar itch of a cough building within his throat, and sighed. As he stared at her for several moments, the tingling feeling went away, and he finally lowered his hand. "Ukitake, Jushiro Ukitake."

"Well, that's better than calling you Mr. White." She shrugged. "Felt like I was playing a bad game of CLUE."

"Clue?" He blinked at her. "What is that?"

"You've never heard of CLUE?" He just shook his head and she sighed. "Oh boy, I have a lot of work cut out for me…" Even though she tried to seem angry by this, a smile of delight was placed on her face as she scooted closer to him.

* * *

><p>"Miss Scarlet with the candlestick in the laboratory." Kagome placed the toothpick next to the strawberry in a specific area outlined darkly on the map folded out before her.<p>

"I thought the strawberry was Miss White?" Ukitake spoke as he sat across from her, his hand under his chin, the map placed between us as we both sat on the floor.

"No, that's the saltshaker." She pointed to one of many random objects placed on the folded map. "Why would a _**red **_strawberry be Miss _**White**_?" She looked at him in an odd way, questioning his reasoning skills.

"I don't know." He shrugged. "There are many rules to this game- Why do you keep picking the strawberry anyway?" He asked, curious.

"Because she always looked so… sexy and _**devious**_on the box cover." She crossed her arms over her chest. "If that doesn't scream_ 'I can get away with anything, even murder'_, then nothing else makes sense, other than the butler did it."

"Butler?" His already confused mind was becoming even more puzzled, she could just see it clearly showing on his face as he stared at the map. "There isn't a butler…"

"That doesn't matter, it's _always_ the butler."

"Then I pick the butler, in the laboratory, with the candlestick." He placed the pen next to the strawberry.

"There is a few things wrong with that: First off, that is Professor Plum, Second, it's not your turn."

"This is all confusing…" He sighed, scratching his head.

She gave a small laugh. "But you're having fun." She smiled at him and he chuckled.

"It's interesting…"

"So are you going to take me home yet?" She asked as she placed the pen back to its rightful place, next to Ms. Peacock a.k.a a stray feather she found lying outside.

"No." Was his stern answer and she sighed.

Maybe she needs to take more drastic measures then just a simple game of CLUE? Then again…

She smiled to herself as she reached out and opened the folded piece of paper that was placed in the center of the map, three cut out pieces of paper fell out and she shouted in victory.

"I knew the bitch did it!"

CLUE was her favorite board game, and she hasn't played it in over 500 years…

* * *

><p>Ukitake was walking around his family estate, feeling a little better over the past few days, which was a good sign. He didn't want to stay cooped behind walls so he decided to take a small stroll.<p>

He stepped out of the shaded walkway, no longer shielded by the light and flinched when the sun suddenly fell upon him. He began walking towards the pond, his favorite area, a small bag of bait held in his hand. He took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air—A large and unexpected cough released itself and he stumbled, placing a head over his mouth. Another heavy cough released itself and he felt his entire chest contract by the weight. This set a chain reaction of coughs to expel themselves, and he felt light-headed as he leaned over, and gripped his chest with his hand, while the other was still over his mouth, gasping between fits of coughs.

A flaming sting pierced his throat and his hand moved from his chest to his burning throat. He closed his eyes shut and tried to hold it in, and he could feel his head become light and dizzy. Once the spell was over he lowered his hand and stood straight once more, his body that felt energized a few moments ago, now seemed sluggish and drained.

Maybe leaving wasn't that good of an idea after all…

He turned back around and started walking back towards his room—

"Ukitake!" He took a step back, surprised when a face suddenly appeared before him, almost startling him into another fit of coughs.

"Higurashi?" The name slipped out as he stared into her eyes, and he placed his hand over his mouth yet again, not wishing to cough directly into her face.

"You going to take me home yet?" She tilted her head and placed her hands on her hips.

"N-…" He started to reply, but then felt a familiar tingling sensation in his neck and he held up his hand, telling her to wait a moment. He turned his head away and took short shaky breaths. He muffled small coughs into his palm, before he sighed as they passed and he turned back around to face her. He straightened himself and looked directly into her eyes. "No." Yet his voice was a little more horse then he would have liked. He cleared his throat. "No." This time sounding serious, and without strain.

Yet instead of her usual protests, she just stared at him for a moment, a dark look swimming in her blue pools, as if she was thinking something over. Without speaking another word, she turned and left him. He raised an eyebrow at her behavior, but shrugged it off and went back to his room to try and relax.

* * *

><p>"Ukitake~!" Kagome sang out the Shinigami's name as she leaned into his window with a small smile on her face. "Wake up sleepy head~" She gave the window frame a small tap, and looked over at the bed, but paused when she didn't see him. "Ukitake?" She glanced around, leaning further into the room as she did so, but hummed to herself when she didn't spot the familiar male. "Where'd he go?"<p>

That's strange…

* * *

><p>"He's somewhere around here…" She mumbled to herself as she walked along the wooden walkway—balcony, whatever you wanted to call this.<p>

She searched the area for Ukitake's aura, and found him here, in the white castle-like structure that was placed in the center of Seireitei. Is this their command center? She glanced over, staring at the scenery that greeted her, and she almost sighed in awe at the sight. She glanced down, seeing the maze mapped out below her, and she almost felt dizzy. This place overlooked everything.

What if this is the command center? Man she would be in deep trouble if she was caught here—She glanced back head of her, and continued walking, while she tried not to think of it. Maybe she shouldn't have come here after all…?

She should have just waited back at Ukitake's house. She paused when the thought crossed her mind, and she shook her head. She hasn't seen a single Shinigami yet, they are either too relaxed or she is just that lucky—either way, it was all rather exciting…

Some thrill and excitement can be good for one's dead-health. You know, keep the nonexistent blood flow going in one's dead body. She almost chuckled at her bad humor. She never figured herself as a thrill seeker, but this is pretty much the only type of action she has gotten since she was sent here…

"For heaven this place is rather boring." Coming here might just keep things interesting—Her thoughts were halted when she saw someone walk around the corner in front of her. She stopped herself from freezing up, and instead kept walking, trying to act normal.

Just keep walking…

The words echoed in her head over and over again. They had no reason to think she didn't belong here, after all, no one has ever sneaked in here before—except for her…

Yet as the Shinigami walked towards her, she took a calming breath and looked ahead, walking at a steady pace. She kept her hands inside of her pockets, and took a quick glance at the male before her, trying to size him up.

He was tall, which reminded her of most males, so that was nothing worth mentioning. He walked calmly, yet he seemed serious. He had on the same white robe she saw Ukitake always wearing—That meant something… but she forgot what that was… Damn, it was probably something important too.

As the distance between them closed more and more, she saw small details, and something in the back of her mind was screaming something to her. He seemed overly familiar to her—Her eyes widened slightly when the image of the demon lord replaced the Shinigami's form and she almost stopped in her tracks.

"Sesshomaru…?" The word whispered from her lips unconsciously, and she couldn't help but glance at the male from the corner of her eyes just as walked past her. The unfamiliar sent of cherry blossoms snapped her out of her daze, and she shook her head. Of course it wasn't Sesshomaru, she is so stupid.

The western lord wouldn't be caught dead wearing a scarf…

After the male was a few steps away, she felt a sense of loss at seeing an image of the silver haired demon, and a pain hit her hard in the chest. She pushed the feeling away and turned back around, continuing to walk forward—

"Stop." A deep voice commanded, and she froze in her steps. "You don't look familiar. What division are you from?"

And that is her cue to… _**run**_!

Byakuya watched in surprise as the woman took off in a blur, skidding around the corner at top speed. He reacted instinctively, and gave chase. Yet once he rounded the corner he paused when he didn't see anything down the long stretch that was laid out before him.

"She's fast." Yet he was faster…

He became nothing but a blur as he activated his flash step, arriving on the other side of the walkway and going around the next corner in a blink of an eye.

Several tense moments passed in the empty walkway, before a lump of raven hair, followed by a pair of blue orbs peeked over the edge, and glanced around cautiously.

"Okay…" She gave a small huff as she lifted herself up from her hiding spot below the wooden walkway, pushing her feet against the large beams as she hoisted herself up. "I believe that's enough adventure for one day." She mumbled to herself as she dusted off her pants and gave a small sigh.

Maybe she should just wait back at Ukitake's house after all…

* * *

><p>I finally updated! Sorry about the wait guys, I've been really busy. And I'm sad to say that the chapter lengths are not what I'm use to making, which are closer to 15K-25K or more, not 5K. So I'm sorry about that as well, but it looks like most of these chapters might just have to take that blow and not be as long as I first hoped.<p>

I am going to make one more chapter, centered on her trapped in soul society, before we get back to the main story plot of bleach.

So we got to see some small scenes with Ukitake, and her first encounter with Byakuya! Tell me what you guys think! And the choice for the pairing is still in the air for this one.


	4. Can I Go Home Now?

Unbeta-ed

I also only skimmed through this long chapter, so there might be more mistakes than usual. Sorry if it bothers you. If you see any grammar errors, point them out to me and I'll fix them. I appreciate it.

_**Story**_

Ukitake, captain of the 13th division returned home after being called to an important meeting, yet when he entered his room, he found something unexpected: A strange woman lying in his bed.

He walked over his bed, and looked down at the sleeping beauty. He knew it was the odd girl that wouldn't stop bothering him about taking her home, Higurashi Kagome was her name, yet he had to wonder why she was sleeping in _**his**_ bed.

As he continued to stare down at the napping woman, his hand tapped against the weapon placed on his hip. To let her guard down like that is quite foolish when she is within enemy territory. His fingers began to drum against the hilt of his blade as his mind ran through several options.

"_You are not going to …" _Her voice echoed inside of his mind._ "Because you are a nice person."_

A small sigh escaped his lips, and he slowly pulled off his white captain's robe. He draped it over the sleeping woman's form, before he turned and walked over to his desk. He picked up the book that was lying peacefully on top, opened it, and began reading.

A movement caught his attention and he glanced over. Kagome hummed to herself, and pulled his robe closer to her, curling some of the fabric under her chin, before she sighed in delight. The white hair captain hummed at the scene, before he went back to reading his book, yet as his eyes glanced over the ink covered paper, a small smile appeared on his face.

* * *

><p><em>Kagome sat inside of Kaede's hut, sitting beside Shippo and watching as the gang was sitting around with a heavy atmosphere in the air. It was dinner time, yet everyone stayed quiet, mostly staring at their soup with a saddened look in their eyes. <em>

"_Kagome's cooking was always the best." Shippo spoke up, as she swirled his spoon around his bowel. _

"_Shippo." She whispered his name, and looked down at him with a sad look. "Don't be sad, I'm here. I'll always be here for you." _

"_I agree." Miroku lifted his spoon up to his lips, but an angry growl made him pause. "But lovely Sango's soup is by far my favorite!" He gave a nervous laugh and greedily slurped the soup. _

"_Why are you guys ignoring me?" She huffed. "You act as if I'm gone." She gave a sad laugh. "I'm right here!" She reached out to touch her son's head in comfort, but she gasped when her transparent hand went pass him. _

"_It's alright." Sango's anger depleted and she reached out, placing her hand on top of Shippo's head and gave it a reassuring pat. "I miss her too." _

"_But I'm here…" She could feel a deep sadness start to fill her as she looked down at her hand with a desperate look in her empty orbs._

_Why can't they see that she was still with them? _

* * *

><p>Ukitake paused in his reading when he heard several sounds coming from the direction of his bed. He glanced over just in time to see a pair of blue pools reveal themselves, and a large yawn escape her lips. She blinked a few times, and even reached up to rub the tiredness from them, before she finally decided to sit up.<p>

When his white robe slipped off of her and onto her lap in a crumble, she hummed, and looked down at the cloth as if it were some unidentified object she has never seen before. She reached out and stretched it in front of her, her head tilted a little as her mind began to slowly start working.

She glanced over and saw him sitting on the chair and he waved to her, a small smile on his face. She glanced back at the robe, then back at him, and he almost chuckled when he saw a small dash of pink go across her nose. She scooted to the edge of the bed, before her now bare feet touched the wooden flooring and she sighed.

With his robe in hand, she walked over to his desk. "Thank you." She spoke as she reached his robe back out to him, the dash of color still visible on her face. "It's warm."

"Keep it, in case you get cold." He told her as he turned his attention back towards his book—

"I can't keep this." She objected, waving the white robe up and down in objection. "It's important, isn't it?"

"I'm giving you permission to borrow it." He glanced back over at her and smiled. "I don't need it while I'm just resting at the house." He told her. "I'll be here for a while so you can keep it until I have to leave for another meeting."

The raven haired woman didn't say anything, except a happy smile was on her face as she accepted the gift and put it on. "Not bad." She spoke, expecting herself with the robe on. "A little big…"

A little? He repeated in his mind. He couldn't help but chuckle at how large the robe looked on her, making her already tiny body shrink even smaller, almost like a child wearing their parents clothing.

But she didn't seem to care, and continued to smile brightly, excited. To him the whole image looked rather cute…

Yet he decided to give her a small warning. "Just don't wear it outside of the estate, or we both will get in trouble."

"Yes sir—" She playfully saluted him "Oh!" Successfully smacking herself in the face with the overly large sleeve that went way past her arms in length.

He gave another chuckle at her, yet he paused when he felt another set of coughs tickle his throat, and he placed his hand over his mouth. He gave a few restrained coughs into his hand, and when the fit was over with he sighed.

* * *

><p>Kagome wished to have some time alone, so she went outside to think, and the next thing she knew she was on her back, looking at the clear blue sky above her. Her mind at first was filled with nothing, fascinated by the clouds that just seem to swirl around Seireitei in one huge circle.<p>

Then her mind started to wonder to the important matters: How was she going to get home?

Kagome reached down, and lifted up some of the robe that she was wearing, a small smile appeared on her face as she recalled the memory of when he let her borrow it. He doesn't mind having her around, and he even let her wear his robe, but the fact still remains, that she has to somehow convince him to take her home. She sighed and released the cloth, watching it slowly fall back down to its rightful place.

Ukitake was nice, and she was hoping to use that to her advantage. She tried to act innocent and befriend him, it worked, but not in the way she would have liked. She hummed to herself in thought.

Maybe she should forget that idea and try something more serious?

"What other choices are there?" She tried to think of all her options.

She has his trust, which could work to her benefit, but it's not enough for her to convince him to take her home. He is a guy, she could always try to seduce him? She hummed to herself. Then again she can try the more risky approach and force him to open it? She closed her eyes and sighed.

"_Come with me."_ The image of Sesshomaru appeared in her mind and she tried to fight back the stinging feeling that started to swell under her eyelids.

She has to get back no matter what—She paused when a small ache gathered in her stomach, but after a few moments the pain went away.

"That was weird." She mumbled to herself as she placed her hand over her belly. Her eyebrows angled together in confusion.

What was that?

* * *

><p>Ukitake was sitting at his desk, in his room, doing some paperwork that he has been neglecting while he has been bedridden. The excessive amount that was waiting for him at his office didn't compare to the small amount before him, but he did not wish to overwork himself so he told them just to bring him enough for him to work on a day at a time. This should keep him busy until his heath regains enough so that he can go back to work at his office.<p>

He was glancing over several laws and restrictions. Some he accepted and signed, while others he disapproved, signing them on a different line, showing proof that he looked over the statement at least.

He placed the paper he just signed into the slowing growing pile on one end of his desk, before reaching out and grabbing another sheet from the much bigger stack he has yet to look over.

_ACT 354-SD _

_Do to recent alarm, though it was later to be proven false, we proclaim that there should be more guards and lookout stations be placed around the outer wall to prohibit any further break-in into Seireitei. _

Reading the statement, Ukitake paused for a moment in thought, before laying the paper down and signing on the line for his approval—

"What are you doing?" The soft voice whispering directly into his ear caused his hand to falter and his pen scraped across the paper in mid-signature.

He released a sigh as he looked down at his ruined name, the line stretching to the end of the paper and looked as if he had a heart attack in the middle of him signing it. "Nothing important." He discarded the paper into the finished stack, already forgetting about it after it left his sight. He turned his head to look at her, yet when he did so his nose brushed against hers. He paused for a moment at their awkward closeness as he stared into her eyes, taking note of the vanilla aroma that took over his senses do to her being so close to him. "What are you doing?" He couldn't help but repeat the question she asked moments before.

"Watching you." She smiled softly at him, her blue orbs staring into his emerald green with interest.

"Do you have to it so… closely?" He asked.

She took a step back, yet continued to stare at him. "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable."

He was going to object, but then he paused, something else catching his attention now that his view wasn't completely obstructed by her blue pools. "Is that grass stains?" He looked at his captain robe with a raised eyebrow.

She finally looked away from him, and lifted up his robe so she could stare at the edges of it, easily seeing the green splotches marking its once bleach white color. She then glanced behind her, and he noticed the blotches were larger in the areas on her back and he couldn't help but sigh.

"Yes?" She said as if it were no big deal.

"How did you get them on you?" He couldn't help but question her.

"I was laying on the grass." She bluntly stated.

He leaned back into his chair, trying not to be oddly amused by the woman. "Why?"

"I was looking at the sky." She told him. "Besides, I think the grass stains improve it." She confessed. When she saw his questioning look she continued. "The grass covers up the smell of sick—" She froze in her sentence before she looked away from him. "Nothing." He was about to question her, but he paused when something floated in threw his window. "A butterfly?"

Ukitake became serious as he watched it fly over to him, and he stood on his feet. He reached his hand out to the creature, and not a few moments later it perched on his finger. He closed his eyes and allowed the message to enter his mind.

_Captain of the sixth division, Byakuya Kuchiki has spotted the intruder within the borders of Seireitei. _

Immediately he snapped his eyes open and looked over at the woman standing within his room. Yet she, being unable to hear the message, just looked at him with mild curiosity.

_Her description is as followed: _

_Blue eyes. Black hair. Short in height, yet very quick on her feet. She has no uniform on so she could easily be picked out in a crowd. _

_Do not underestimate her, and if you spot her, you are to take her into custody so that she can be questioned. She is hiding within Seireitei, and the intruder alarm has not been triggered so that it would lead the enemy into a false sense of security while we search out her hiding spot. _

_Please refer to the newly written ACT 354-SD2. _

_We will be holding another meeting tomorrow at noon to discuss this subject further. _

Once the creature left his finger, he wasted no time in reaching over to the stacks of unfinished paperwork and flipped through it quickly. It would be urgent, so it had to be one of the top important things for his underlings to hand him, for him to look at.

"Is there something you are not telling me?" He questioned the woman as he continued to flip through the papers.

Kagome paused for a moment, as if thinking, before she shrugged. "Sorry?"

Hearing the apology he paused and glanced over at her. He watched as she patted the grass stains that were randomly blotched onto his robe and he shook his head. "That is not what I was referring to."

Once he caught sight of the familiar numbers and letters, he pulled out the single sheet. His eyes scanned over the parchment with seriousness.

_ACT 354-SD2. _

_Updated proposal, see ACT 354-SD. _

_The calms are hereby retracted as being false, and are now under the protection ACT 04-D alert, and will remain so until the intruder is arrested. _

_Furthermore we ask that regulated rounds be taken throughout Seireitei as a precautionary measure. We also suggest that the guards patrol around the estates. It has come to our attention that there is a high probability that she has secluded herself into one of the royal family mansions. _

_Other steps are to be taken to bait her out of her hiding spot and ensure her capture. _

That last sentence was rather vague, and it left him feeling slightly uneasy as he glanced over at the woman that stood beside him.

"You were spotted today." He fully turned towards her and stood straight, over towering her.

"Oh." She hummed. "I forgot about that." She acted as if it were no big deal.

"You could have been caught—"

"You are worried about me." A small smile appeared on her face. "Does that mean you have started to like me?"

"You are…" He paused, feeling a familiar tingling in his throat. He tried to hold the burning sensation back as he place his hand over his mouth for a moment and breathed slowly. "You are in my estate, I can be held a traitor for harboring a fugitive."

"So…" She seemed to be thinking things over. "You are going to be in trouble if you take me home, and you are going to have problems if I stay here." She shrugged. "You are screwed either way so why don't you just send me home?" Not this again.

Hearing her comment, he released several restrained coughs. "I told you—" He coughed several more times, before he finally got a second wind. "I am not going to send you to the mortal realm, no matter how much you ask me."

"Yet you are willing to be called a traitor by letting me stay here?" Her comment pointed out many confusing questions.

He sat back down in his chair, feeling weak after the sudden attack to his lungs. "I am not so heartless as to send a woman, who means no harm to us, into prison where you will be tortured and then killed." He placed the piece of paper onto his desk with a deep look in his eyes.

"You really do care." Her words caused him to glance back over to her, yet he almost reeled back when her nose brushed against his once more. "You _**are**_ nice." Her eyes held deep sadness, as if she was hurt by this fact. "I've never met anyone like you."

Her statement seemed rather odd to him. "You've never met someone who has been nice to you?"

"Not without reason." She seemed to be thinking it over as she tilted her head. "If they were nice, they always wanted something from me." She reached up and unconsciously grasped the jewel that was hanging from her neck. "Not only that but you are the first who hasn't tried to kill me. Most men who met me attack first and don't care." She gave a small huff. "They never even apologized after we became friends either, now that I think about it."

"You befriended your enemies?" This girl spoke several strange statements back-to-back, confusing him.

"They might have attacked me, but I can see the good in them." Her saddening expression changed into a more cheery outlook as she smiled at him.

"So finding someone who is openly nice is different than what you are accustomed to dealing with?"

She hummed in thought and sat down on his bed. "You can say that." Ukitake noticed that she was acting more serious than her usual playful self. "But I think there's something more than that." She shrugged. "I look at you, and I feel…" She tried to think of the word, nibbling on her lip in thought. "Like you are the by the book, _**old-school**_, honest-to-goodness, _gentleman_. If there ever was one, you are it in the flesh."

"Nice to know you think I'm special." He almost smiled at her words.

She changed her voice slightly as she waved her hand around. "My honor forbids me from taking a life." She then huffed through her nose. "I bet if I was about to step in a puddle you would stop me and say 'hold on there ma'am' and put your coat down so I wouldn't get mud on me." This time he chuckled lightly in amusement, a smile slipping onto his face. "You are like the Himura Kenshin of the spirit world, except you don't go around saying Oro all the time."

"Who's Himura Kenshin?" He innocently asked.

"You don't know who Himura Kenshin is?" This seemed to surprise her greatly. "He is a well-known samurai, and he becomes this big pacifist during the Meiji Revolution!"

"I'm sorry, but we are not well informed of mortal history in the spirit world."

She looked at him in disbelief. "That's crazy! History can be fascinating, especially if you lived through it—Well, I didn't live through it, I was dead." She mumbled the last part. "I met him once though." He raised an eyebrow, questioning who she meant, and she smiled. "Kenshin!" At mentioning his name, both of his eyebrows were of equal height in surprise. "I was already dead at that point, so he couldn't see me, but I knew who he was." Her smile brightened with each passing moment, and Ukitake couldn't help but smile, her joy becoming contagious.

Her excitement continued to grow as she told him of the time she met the famous Battousai The Manslayer…

* * *

><p>Kagome was back outside, standing in the overly large yard of the Ukitake's family estate. She was mildly interested in staring at the robe that was hanging on the wire, watching the wind causing the long fabric to dance in the breeze. The robe no longer blotched with green stains, and back to its perfect white state. The servants of the estate watched it and then hung it outside to dry.<p>

Seems soul society didn't have any driers. In fact, it was rather held back, technology wise, which surprised her—She pause in her thoughts when a sharp pain hit her in the stomach again, and she placed a hand over her belly. Why is her stomach hurting? It was odd. She was a ghost, and shouldn't feel any pain, and she hasn't experienced anything like this until she came to the spirit realm. She decided to ignore it, hoping that the annoying contractions would eventually fade away. After a few moments, the pain did lessen, and was now nothing but a small numbing sensation lingering in her gut. Maybe it was just gas or something? Wait, do ghosts get gas?

She took a deep breath and sighed, wiggling her feet in the soft grass, erasing her earlier thoughts, and just enjoying the feel of the blades between her toes. There were many things she missed when she was dead.

The feel of the grass, the wind, smell of the trees and she even missed the dirt. To be one with things and not just a projected soul wandering around, unable to connect or touch anything alive, she forgotten what it felt like. She hummed to herself as she continued to watch the white cloth flick and move in the wind.

She was so use to being dead, and she wanted to go home so badly, she completely overlooked the fact that she could touch and feel things again she never could for the past 500 years. Her eyes started to fog over as she stared blankly ahead of her.

In the past two days she has talked to at least 5 people. That is a miracle, considering the only companion that could see her has been Sesshomaru the past half a millennium. The thing that frightened her the most about being a ghost was the loneliness.

When she first died, in her despair she almost welcomed a deep darkness that could have destroyed her. She was always afraid of getting sucked back, and the emptiness consuming her, yet here, she has no real fear of being lonely anymore, for everyone can see and talk to her.

Yet…

Why does she still feel so alone?

"_You don't belong here." _Sesshomaru's voice echoed in her mind, and she was flooded with images of the past.

Sesshomaru stood before her in all of his glory. He was dressed in his battle armor, demon markings, trademark boa resting over his shoulder, and he had his two blades resting on his left hip under his yellow sash. He never looked more noble then in that moment.

"_Come with me." _His command was serious, yet he held compassion somewhere deep within his icy heart as he turned and walked away, expecting nothing less than for her to obey him.

She reached her hand out to him as her mouth opened, going to shout for him to wait for her, but no words would escape her parted lips. His image slowly faded, and within a few steps he completely disappeared. She could feel the wet drops trail down her cheeks as her eyes started to leak profusely. Just one more thing she has found out she is capable of doing that she couldn't when she was a ghost: Cry.

Please don't leave me alone again…

She felt something brush across her soaked cheek, wiping away her tears and she quickly pulled away, taken off guard. She was greeted with a buried vision of a familiar face of the head of the estate.

"Ukitake." She whispered his name, not even bothering to try and hid her tears, when she knew he has already seen them.

A concerned look was on his face. "I came to see if my robe was finished drying, yet I seem to have missed something important while you have been away from me."

"It's nothing." She glanced down at the grass. "Just homesick."

"I see." He had a look of pity cross his features for a split second. "That's right!" He exclaimed as if he just remembered something, before he reached into his long black sleeve. "Here." He grabbed her hand, and placed something inside of her palm, a small smile on his face. When he removed his hand, she looked down at what he gave her—

A piece of hard candy wrapped in shiny bright red wrapping. Kagome flinched, her stomach immediately stabbed with pain at the sight of the sugary treat. "Candy?" She ignored the pain and tried not to reveal any outward pain to him as she glanced back towards him in question. "There is food in the spirit realm?"

"Most souls don't have to eat food, but if they do it's just to enjoy the taste." He told her. "Shinigami are different, we have power, it's what separates us from regular souls, and we have to replenish our energy the same as humans in the mortal realm." She didn't know that. Guess you learn something new every day, uh? Ukitake then reached into his other sleeve, pulling out another gift and placing it into her hand. "This is for you too." He just continued to smile at her in a cheerful way as she stared at the odd gift he gave her.

A grey square, just big enough to fit the in the palm of her hand comfortably, with a handle sticking out of the side. Being curious, Kagome reached out to the lever and started to spin it.

A very familiar children's tune started to play: Pop-goes-the-weasel.

Kagome turned it rather slowly at first, but once she realized what it was, her hand started to crank the handle faster until finally—

**POP! **

The top of the jack-in-the-box flipped open, revealing a smiling face of a joker bouncing around without a care in the world. The corners of her lips curved upwards and her eyes softened at the sight.

"I enjoy your smile more than your tears." Ukitake spoke up as he watched her reaction.

It was a rather odd gift but… It was sweet.

She smile to herself, her sadness gone as she popped the hard candy into her mouth with a hum in delight. "Thank you."

* * *

><p>Kagome was resting in Ukitake's bed, on her belly. She glanced at the Shinigami that was working at his desk diligently.<p>

She watched him take a piece of paper, and watch his emerald eyes scan the words placed onto the sheet, enjoying how they would flicker as he read. Then he would pick up his pen and sign his name at the bottom. Whether he liked what he read depended on if he made a hesitated pause before he signed, she noticed. Then he would place the paper with the other signed sheets, then pick up the next one.

Kagome also observed that every now and then he would look over at a sheet placed by itself on his desk, that he hasn't picked up or signed yet. It got her curious, wondering what that paper was-

"Do you still want to go home?" He voiced his question while still overlooking the paper in front of him.

"Of course." She moved her head so it rested on her arm more comfortably.

"Why?" The question surprised her a little. "Do you not like it here?"

"I do." She admitted as she continued to stare at him. "There are interesting things here." She sighed, looking down at the mattress. "But there is someone waiting for me."

"I remember you mentioning them before." Ukitake raised his pen and signed the paper. "Must be very important to you. What was their name?"

The question took her off guard at first, but then the confusion was quickly overpowered by sadness. "Sesshomaru." She could feel the heavy weight come down on her as she pictured him. "His name is Sesshomaru."

"It's strange that you remember him."

"Why would it be strange?" She glanced back over at him, a little offended. "He meant a lot to me, of course I would remember him."

"That's not what I meant." He tried to explain. "When souls are brought to Soul Society, they normally don't remember their past life, so the fact that you remember is rare."

"Oh…" Her emotions settled down once again and she sighed.

After a few moments of silence, he started another conversation with her. "I have noticed that ever since I've meet you, you always have a sad look in your eyes, even when you smile."

"I miss him." She confessed.

"You are lonely." He spoke what he could easily see.

"Without him..." She had no true purpose, no need to be here. She was walking around in this world with no direction or thought. "I'm lost…" Her eyes widened as her heart clinched and the darkness reached out, calling to her once more—

Not again…

Her eyes became dark, as she felt something start to eat its way into her soul—

"I must have heard wrong." His voice snapped her out of her daze and she blinked. "I thought I you said that you were strong?" His words held much wisdom, yet he had a smile on his face as he continued to read over the parchment.

A small smile appeared on her face, feeling oddly comforted by his words, a shimmer of hope floating around her that frightened away the darkness.

"_You are weak, Miko." He spoke as if he was stating the obvious. _

"_I hate being called that." Her voice was low. "My name is Ka-go—" Her famous line was cut off when his demonic hand wrapped around her human neck and she gasped for air, taken off guard. _

"_I call you Miko, because this Sesshomaru wants to." His voice held a hint of irritation as he looked down at her as if he were insulted. "Prove to me that you are wroth my respect." His eyes narrowed. "Until then, I will call you as I wish." _

"I_ am _strong…" Her voice was laced with determination.

"For a minute I thought you give up." He sighed in relief.

"You wish." She huffed, smiling over at him. "You would be bored if I didn't aggravate you all day."

He smiled at her comment. "You are growing on me…"

"That's sweet." Her eyes softened towards him. "A real romantic you are."

"I try—" He froze in midsentence and she paused, glancing at him. He reached up with his hand, covering his mouth as several coughs leaked out, trying hard to hold them back. After just a couple of strained huffs, he sighed and lowered his hand back down.

Kagome's eyes watched his coughing fit with a saddened look, before she turned her head. "You are sick." She stated more than questioned.

"Don't worry." He smiled. "I have had this for a long time—"

"I know…" She interrupted him and he finally looked away from the paper, looking at her in surprise.

"I see." He frowned a little. "I tried to hide it from you, but you knew from the start, didn't you?"

"Your scent reeks of nothing but illness and death." A dark look overtook her features.

The conversation died, and the air around them was tense. It wasn't until a few minutes later that Ukitake went back to reading his papers. Kagome stared at him with a fogged look in her eyes, not really looking at anything in particular as her mind began fading the world away. She debated with herself for a while, before she finally came to a conclusion and she sighed.

"Would you take me home…" She started to ask.

Yet he interjected as he started to sign his name on the bottom of the sheet. "I told you before I—" So she interrupted him in response, agitated he wouldn't let her finish.

"If I healed you?" She heard a gasp come from the man beside her, before the pen slipped out of his grasp and dropped onto the desk with a click.

He quickly regained his composure, but a sad look was on his face. "Please don't joke like that—"

"If you say yes, I will heal you right here, right now."

He froze in his signature, and looked over towards her. His emerald orbs locked onto her blue ones, and he must have seen the complete seriousness on her face, for his eyes widened a fraction.

He knew in that moment that she was not joking…

Yet he turned and went back to his paperwork, and she frowned. "You are refusing treatment—"

"I'm sorry." A look of both guilt and heartbreaking hopelessness darkened his eyes. "I can't take you home." His words caused her to bite on her lower lip in irritation. "The risk is just too great."

"You are more stubborn then I thought." She huffed, turning her head away when she felt a stinging sensation swell in her eyes when the hope of going home was slowly disappearing from her grasp.

"I'm sorry…" Was all he said, before he turned and went back to his paperwork.

Ukitake looked at the law sitting in front of him, yet his mind was fogged over in emotions, and he glanced at the woman lying on his bed. She was no longer watching him work, obviously upset with him. He felt extremely guilty for refusing to take her home, but he had no choice.

If they caught her in Seireitei, there was a small chance they wouldn't kill her, but If he took her home…

When they did find her, she would definitely be executed.

* * *

><p>"<em>Don't leave the estate." <em>Was the exact words Ukitake told her moments before he left to the captain's assembly hall for the meeting he was supposed to attend today.

Kagome peeked around the corner suspiciously, checking to make sure the coast was clear before she continued her stroll down the wooden walkway.

Then why is she sneaking around the meeting area for, you may ask? Number one: She didn't like being alone. Reason B: She was bored. Besides, what's the worst that could happen? She snorted through her nose.

"He is near here." She could feel his aura close by.

Besides, if the meeting was about her, she has a right to know what the other Shinigami are saying. She would keep out of sight of course, but even if she was spotted, they would never catch her.

They need some excitement around here anyway. To tell the truth, she just wanted to see how much dust she has kicked up in their peaceful land.

She sighed to herself, deciding to take in the view as several thoughts ran through her mind. It didn't take long for her rampant thoughts to go back to past memories.

"_Shippo, Kagome did not go home." Inuyasha had a dark and serious look on his face. "She is dead." The moment the harsh words left his mouth, everyone in the room became tense. _

_Kagome opened her mouth to shout at the thoughtless demon. "Inu—"_

"_Inuyasha!" Sango interrupted her, and Kagome looked over at Sango in surprise. _

"_I know." Shippo was staring at the ground sadly, tears threatening to fall any moment. "I know…" _

"_Shippo. Don't listen to him." She wanted to cry, yet the tears did not fall. She reached down to comfort him. "I'm right here—" Yet her hand went through his body and she frowned-_

Kagome paused when her stomach gurgled and she raised an eyebrow, questioning her own ears. She shook her head, deciding to continue ignoring the odd things her stomach was doing. As she walked around the corner, she placed her hand onto her belly to try and stop the painful stabs that were becoming worse and worse as time would pass—

"Oomph!" She gave a small groan when she ran into a solid wall, taken by surprise. When she opened her eyes and saw a person standing in front of her, she immediately apologized, looking up towards him. "I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going."

Byakuya's eyes narrowed when the woman looked up. "You—"

Yet his words were cut off when something screamed at him to move, and he quickly pulled back out of the way, missing the roundhouse kick aim for his head, her boot barely grazing his nose. He reached for his blade, and pulled it out just in time to block another kick aimed in the center of his chest. He released a grunt when the powerful hit slammed into him, his sword taking the full impact, but it still slid him several feet away from the seer might of the blow. He quickly looked up, but his eyes hardened when he saw the intruder had already vanished, using the attacks as a distraction so she could slip away.

He placed his sword back into its sheath, a look of disappointment on his usual stoic face. Displeased mostly at himself for allowing the dangerous intruder to escape his grasp a second time.

* * *

><p>Kagome was sitting on the edge of the walkway, allowing her legs to dangle off the side. One of the girl servants walked up to them, carrying two cups of tea.<p>

"So how did it go?" When the girl placed her cup down beside her without a word, Kagome smiled softly at her. "Thank you." The girl just nodded, accepting her thanks.

Ukitake didn't look away from the beautiful scenery of the outside world that was his estate's back yard. "Normal." Was his only answer, and it seemed to set her on edge.

He's been distant, she noticed.

"Anything that I should be worried about?" Reaching over, she grabbed the cup of tea that was given to her, and placed the steaming cup to her lips, taking a small sip.

"No." The captain paused for a moment when the girl placed his own cup of tea beside him. "Thank you." He gave the woman a charming smile that just seemed to come natural to him.

Instantly the woman blushed and became flustered. "Y-you're welcome." She then placed her tray up to her chest, her face still stained red as she was walking away from them.

"So tell me, were you born with it, or did you have to train for that?" She gently blew on the top of her drink, not liking how the hot temperature burnt her tongue the last time she took a sip.

"What do you mean?" He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes, as he held the warm cup in his hands, as he continued to sit seiza-style.

Kagome almost snored at his comment. He has to know what she was talking about- "The ability to just have every girl fall at your feet with nothing but a smile."

"Women don't just 'fall at my feet'." He denied it, taking another drink of his tea, and this time she really did snort.

All the cute one's know that they are cute, that's why most of them are cocky. "You know you're good-looking." She mumbled into her cup as she placed the rim up to her lips.

Yet Ukitake didn't hear her, he just continued to stare at the grass and pond while drinking his tea. Several moments passed of them just enjoying each other's company, until finally Kagome spoke once again, breaking the silence.

"What is his name?" Kagome glanced over at him.

"Who?"

"The guy who saw me that one time." She lied a little. She decided it was best not to tell him that the man saw her again today, because she snuck in so she could spy on the meeting, when Ukitake specifically told her stay at the estate.

"His name is Kuchiki Byakuya." Thankfully he didn't notice her odd choice in wording. "Why are you suddenly interested?"

She shrugged. "No reason."

"You should stay away from him. He is captain of the sixth squad, and very powerful." He gave her some word of advice. "You might have escaped before, but if you run into him again you won't be so lucky."

"Too late…" She mumbled into her cup as she took another sip of the bitter drink.

"What was that?" He seemed surprised as he looked over at her.

"He underestimated me." She turned and locked her eyes onto his emerald green. "And so are you…"

"I did not mean it in disrespect to you Higurashi, but Kuchiki is strong."

A sly smirk appeared on her face as she looked down at her legs, taking another drink of her tea.

But so was she…

"So." She looked back towards the white haired captain, the smirk never leaving her face. "Where does this Kuchiki Byakuya live?"

Her question caused Ukitake to pause in his drinking and look back over at her. "Why?" He had a suspicious look on his face. "I told you to avoid him."

"That's why I want to know." She told him, yet her grin never faded. "So I don't accidently go there." She flashed him a bright smile.

She was totally going there…

* * *

><p>"So this is Kuchiki estate?" She whispered. She couldn't control her eyes as they darted from one interesting thing to the next, as she walked around the huge mansion. "It's even bigger than Ukitake's…"<p>

As she was admiring the view, she spread her senses out, trying to find the Sesshomaru double. She found his aura easily enough, after bumping into the guy twice she had decided to memorize his cold energy.

It took several twists and turns, but when she noticed she was coming closer, she mentally cheered inside of her head. When his aura was practically suffocating her, she found herself standing beside of an open window.

She placed her hand on the frame of the window, and leaned over to sneak a peek inside of the room. She glanced around the normal looking room, spotting the same things inside as Ukitake's room: desk, a few chairs, but far less bookshelves, but the size of the room was quite larger. There was even a bed placed beside the window, just like her white haired friend—She paused when she saw a lump beneath the sheets.

He's sleeping? She stepped out into the open and leaned half of her body into the room. A sly smirk appeared on her face when she saw a mess of black poking out from the edge of the sheets, on top of the pillow.

"Perfect." She whispered. How could she be so lucky? Now how was she going to get into the room without waking sleeping beauty? She took several steps back, a look of determination in her blue orbs. Once she was a good distance away, her smile grew as her heart thumped loudly in her chest. "Hope this works…" Was her last words spoken before she ran with all her might towards the window.

She leapt into the air, and like a tiger jumping threw a hoop, she sailed through the opened window with grace. She soared over the bed with little effort, and landed with a silent roll, before the momentum brought her to her feet and she held her hands in the air, a big smile of victory on her face as she held the pose like a gymnastic would after a tough maneuver.

She instantly froze when movement behind her reached her ears. She glanced over her shoulder, and watched with dread as the male rolled over in his sleep, turning his back to her. She watched for several tense moments, and when nothing happened she released a breath she didn't know she was holding.

Alright then, time to prowl…

She seemed rather excited as she started plundering through the Shinigami's room, curious. The first thing she came to was his closet, opening it widely and revealing the fact that the man didn't have much of a selection. It was all mostly the same Shinigami outfits and colors. She snorted at the blandness and closed the door—She paused when a long white scarf hanging on a rack inside of the door caught her attention.

"Hmm..." She reached out and grabbed the cloth—"Wow, that's soft." She was surprised by the expensive texture, and rubbed it against her cheek with a purr, while scent of cherry-blossom filled her sense. The scarf, like everything else, was covered in his nice aroma. She smiled to herself and wrapped it around her neck, enjoying how his lovely scent now surrounded her.

She walked over to the full length mirror standing in the corner, looking at her reflection with a hum. Not bad. She flipped the long scarf over her shoulder with a smirk on her face, before turning and continuing her tour of the Shinigami's room.

She walked over to the desk, seeing the piles of papers placed on top of it, just like in Ukitake's room. She sighed, wondering why people have to do paperwork, even after death- Maybe this was hell? Yeah, that would make sense.

She was reminded the hours and hours of work that Sesshomaru had to do in the human world and she frowned. He overworked himself because of it, and it just made her hate paperwork even more then she already did before she died.

She then decided to pay her host a visit and walked over to the bed where he was currently resting. When she approached sleeping beauty, he had already rolled onto his back once more, and she couldn't help but stare at his peaceful face as he rested.

His black hair was spread out onto the pillow like ink, some of the hair was fallen onto his face, no longer kept up by the white hairpins she saw him wearing before. He looked a lot more approachable and had a softer look to him as he slept.

Yet another similarity he possessed just like the demon lord.

As she stood by his bed, she continued to stare at him, and the longer she did, she began to see him morph before her eyes.

His black hair turned sliver, and demon markings appeared on his pale face. Her eyes fell as a saddened look appeared on her face, staring at the captain with longing and hope. She reached out to his sleeping form, going to brush away some of his silver hair away from his face like she always did—She paused just before she touched him, snapping out of her daze when a strong aura made her senses go into alert. Sesshomaru faded, replaced by the cold Shinigami, and she pulled her hand back, as if she was burnt.

She turned towards the door as the energy was approaching quickly. She looked at the sleeping male, then back at the door, her mind reeling. Thinking on her feet she pulled the scarf off of her and draped it over the headboard.

She quickly took off her boots and pants, and then bent over and flipped her hair around, running her fingers through it and messing it up. When she stood back up, she felt a rush of lightheadedness, but pushed it aside and began unbuttoning her shirt as she walked over to the door.

She arrived at the door as she finished the last button, and opened up her shirt revealing her black lacy underwear beneath. She waited at the door, sensing the energy coming closer. She patted her cheeks a little, to make her face look flushed, and just as the energy was hovering on the other side of the wooden barrier, she reached out and quickly opened up the door. Her actions successfully halted the fist that was held up, freezing the male in his movements in mid-knock.

"Captain Kuchiki I—" The male suddenly stopped what he was saying as his face matched the color of his blood red hair.

"Can I help you?" She asked him, taking the opportunity of his shock to size him up. He was strong, but not on the same level as the man in the bed. He had tattoos all over his skin, but his most striking thing about him was his red hair that was tied in a high ponytail, sticking out in all directions and reminding her of a pineapple. Her mind immediately pictured the red porcupine from Sonic the Hedgehog. "Are you just going to stand there staring, or are you going to tell me why you are here interrupting us?"

"I-I'm sorry." He finally found his voice, yet his face was still the same fiery red. "I came to get Captain Kuchiki for a meeting he was supposed to attend."

"Well, as you can see—" She moved to the side so the man can see the male sleeping peacefully on the bed. "He is exhausted." A playful smirk appeared on her face as she looked up at the man. "I must admit that it's my fault." She reached up and placed her hand over her exposed chest, successfully spreading her already opened blouse. "I was having too much fun last night. I might have gone too far and wore him out..."

The man's entire face filled with blood and steam stared coming from his ears, trying to cool the heated man down, yet it wasn't helping, for his face was turning over twenty different shades of red.

"I-I'm sorry to dis-disturb you. I-I—" The man was stuttering badly, as he tried very hard not to stare at her chest. "I will come b-back at a different time t-then." The man wasted no time in turning and hurrying out of there as fast as his legs could go, leaving nothing behind but a smoke cloud.

Kagome chuckled in amusement at the man, before she closed the door softly. She strolled back over to her clothes and picked them up off of the floor. She then walked over to the bed once more. She looked down at his still resting from and hummed.

He looked rather tired, and if it wasn't for her scaring away that man, he would have been woken up, and it looks like he needs the rest. "You're welcome…" She paused when something white caught her attention. She glanced at the nightstand that was by his bed, and picked up the two odd pieces, wondering what they were.

After a moment, she realized it was the hairpins she saw him wearing before, and purred. She walked over to the mirror, and held them up to her head, one on top while the other was above her ear. She nodded her head in approval, before she put her clothes back down onto the floor so she could free both her hands.

After some struggle and several mumble curses, she successfully placed the two pins in her hair and she smiled to herself, checking herself out in the mirror once more. She liked them.

"I'll just take these as a thank you gift, for letting you rest…"

After she was done admiring herself, she started to put her pants back on and buttoned her shirt up. Once dressed, she deciding that she had enough fun, and chose to leave the sleeping man undisturbed. She left the room the same way she entered, taking the nice looking hairclips with her as a souvenir.

He probably wouldn't even notice them missing…

* * *

><p><em>Shippo was sitting in the floor of Kaede's hut, drawing with his crayon's and paper that she gave him from the future. A small smile was on his face as he doodled on the once white paper, now spread with all colors of the rainbow. <em>

_Kagome smiled as she sat beside him, watching her small artist-to-be at work. "That looks wonderful Shippo." She congratulated him. _

_When Shippo was finally finished, he held out the paper for everyone in the room to see. Sango paused in cleaning her Boomerang bone and smiled brightly at him. "That's great." _

"_If you don't mind me asking, what is it?" Miroku asked, who was sitting beside Sango, looking over several old parchments. _

"_It's everyone!" Shippo smiled. "There's me." He pointed to the largest one out of the group. "Miroku, Sango, Kirara, Sesshomaru, Rin, Jaken." He pointed to each of us, then he pointed to the one laying on the ground with marks over his eyes. "And that's Inuyasha." _

_At the mention of his name, the half demon's ear's gave a small twitch from on top of his head before he turned. He was the only one sitting far off into the dark corner, yet he took a glance at the picture, curious. "Why am I the one dead on the ground?" A small vain was popping out of the side of the dog's head. _

"_Because Kagome sat you." Hearing Shippo's words, Inuyasha unconsciously reached up to touch the prayer beads around his neck, but a sad look appeared on his face when they were no longer there. Shippo then pointed to the person standing beside the drawing of himself, the girl was near a brown square that was placed at the edge of the paper. "See, she's near the well." _

"_Shippo, Kagome did not go home." Inuyasha had a dark and serious look on his face. "She is dead." The moment the harsh words left his mouth, everyone in the room became tense. _

_Kagome opened her mouth to shout at the thoughtless demon. "Inu—"_

"_Inuyasha!" Sango interrupted her, and Kagome looked over at Sango in surprise. _

"_I know." Shippo was staring at the ground sadly, tears threatening to fall any moment. "I know…" _

"_Shippo. Don't listen to him." She wanted to cry, yet the tears did not fall. She reached down to comfort him. "I'm right here—" Yet her hand went through his body and she frowned._

"_Then don't draw something that isn't there anymore." His tone was filled with much sorrow. "No matter how much you want it to be true…" He mumbled the last words and looked away from them. _

_She was useless like this. She couldn't comfort Shippo, or talk to her friends. She couldn't even go home. She growled, feeling irritation build in her. She didn't want them to be sad, and worry about her anymore, but somewhere deep inside she didn't want to leave them—Doubting the truth:_

_She was dead. _

_It was a lie. All of this is a lie. This is a dream, and when she wakes up, everything will be just the way it was supposed to be. It's not true. She isn't dead, they are just ignoring her and this is all a nightmare. _

"_Wake up." She held her head, shaking it back and forth as something started to bubble within her. "Wake up, wake up, wake up—wake up!" She slammed her fist onto the nightstand beside her—_

_**Crash! **_

_Everyone jumped at the sudden noise, and looked over, seeing a busted flower pot that was once sitting on the nightstand, now shattered into many pieces and water was spread all over the floor in a mess. _

_Kagome blinked, before looking at her hand in surprise. Did she just do that…? _

A loud roar woke her from her deep sleep, and she groaned, slowly opening her eyes. When her blue pools revealed themselves, she huffed and looked down at her stomach. She placed her hand over her pained belly, and pressed her back further into the bark as she did her best to ignore the stabs in her gut that were progressively getting worse.

As she sat beneath the shade of one of the trees in Ukitake's yard, she started pulling out blades of grass to try and settle that aggravation and grumpy mood that was starting to consume her. The pain was becoming more intense as time would pass, and she was having a hard time not outwardly showing it on her face whenever a wave of stabs would hit her.

She flinched when her stomach twisted as if she was kicked in the gut and she groaned a little in pain. After the attack left she sighed, releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding, yet when the pain subsisted it caused her to feel slightly lightheaded.

What is wrong with her?

* * *

><p>Byakuya awoke from his slumber feeling oddly rested, and the first thing he noticed was the lingering scent of vanilla that surrounded his entire room. Must be a new fragrance his servants have started using. It was nice…<p>

He glanced outside and his lips thinned into a small line when he noticed the time. Renji was supposed to come and get him for the meeting. He was late. After several moments of debating with reason as to why, he came up with the conclusion that the meeting must have been canceled, therefore Renji had no reason to come and get him so that he could attend. There was no other logical explanation.

He walked over to his closet, and adorn his Shinigami uniform and captain's robe. He went over to his mirror to look at his appearance, before he went back over to his closet to get his scarf.

"…?" He paused when his scarf was not hanging on the rack inside of his closet door. He glanced over his shoulder, around the room, and spotted it draped over the headboard of his bed. He walked back over to his bed and held the soft fabric questionably. "Strange." He doesn't remember placing it there before he went to bed. Deciding it was not worth the effort to think about it, he wrapped it around his neck without any more delay—"Vanilla." The aroma suddenly gotten more potent.

He looked around the room suspiciously, before he focused his dark grey orbs on his scarf. He raised the end of the cloth to his nose, and his eyes narrowed, the pungent fragrance that surrounded his senses.

Odd…

He decided to put the strangeness aside and finish getting dressed. He walked over to his nightstand to retrieve his Kenseikan. He froze, his hand hovering a few inches from the expensive furniture as he stared at the empty spot where his Kenseikan should be.

His eyes narrowed again.

_Very_ odd…

* * *

><p>Kagome was lying on the grass, next to the pond. She was resting on her aching stomach, her head resting on her arm, while the other was lazily draped over the edge, and her hand submerged in the cold liquid. Twitching her fingers, a small smile appeared on her face when she felt small nibbles.<p>

They must be hungry—That moment her stomach decided to hit her with a strong jab of pain and her hand curled into a tight fist beneath the water, scaring the fish away. She clinched her jaw so tightly she almost felt her teeth cracking.

The attack left as quickly as it came, and she sighed. She slowly released her clinched fist—Small splashes caught her attention, and when she opened her eyes, she saw several pellets floating on the surface of the pond. She glanced over just in time to see a familiar face sit down beside her, within his palm was a pile of fish food.

Neither one spoke a word, Ukitake feeding the fish in silence, and Kagome watching the fish as she moved her hand around. Some of the fish still thought of her fingers as food, and several nibbles could be felt, creating another smile on her face.

After some handfuls were thrown into the water, a large school of carp had gathered, and they watched them happily gobbled up the food.

"Those things in your hair…" Ukitake's words caused her to reach up and touch the hairpins that were still placed in her raven locks.

"Ummmm… It's not what you think, they are totally not his." She glanced over, but he was looking at her with a deadpanned expression and she laughed nervously. "Don't look at me like that, I am just borrowing them for a little while."

A sigh escaped the white haired man's lips and he didn't say another word about it. He continued to throw the pellets into the water, a look of disappointment on his face as he punished her by giving Kagome the silent treatment. She huffed and turned her head away from him. Sometimes he could be such a child.

Even though he tried, Ukitake couldn't leave it alone. "You could have been caught."

"He was sleeping! A turtle could escape him in that knocked out state of his." She snorted through her nose. "A kiss couldn't wake up that sleeping beauty." He was practically comatose. Must have been worn out…

"!" There was silence and Kagome paused in twirling her fingers in the water, looking back over at him. A bright crimson splash was across his nose, easily standing out against his pale skin and even paler hair. "You k-kissed him?" His stutter was pretty cute to her and she smiled at his shocked state.

"N—" She paused for a moment, a sly smirk came across her face. She removed her hand from the water and pushed herself up the grass. "Why do you care?" She leaned over to him, her face close to his. "Do you like me?" Her question caused his already flushed face to both broaden around his cheeks and become redder. "Are you jealous?"

"Jealous?" He blinked at her words. "Doing that to him would be inappropriate." His words caused her to smile.

"What you're saying is-" She leaned even closer to him, her words slow and seductive. "If I kissed you right now…" Their noses barely touched and she could feel his breath brushing across her lips, making them dry. She instinctively wetted them again by licking them. She reached out, placing her hand against his cheek as she slowly moved even closer. "Would you call it inappro—" Her words were cut short when a finger was placed over her lips.

"Yes." His expression was serious, his blush no longer there as he confidently looked directly into her eyes, his emerald orbs filled with his strong resolve. He reached up and gently grasped her wrist, removing her hand from his cheek. "I'm sorry."

She pulled her face away from his, and she felt his finger remove from her lips. "Why are you apologizing?" He is strange—

"Because I know that rejection hurts." He unconsciously tried to sooth her by rubbing his thumb across her palm as he still held her wrist gently. "I don't want to see you cry again." Hearing his words her face became flushed slightly and she snorted.

"Idiot!" She jerked her hand away from his grasp. She shoved him hard, and he didn't fight her, accepting her punishment. His back hit the grass with a thud and he groaned a little. "Why are you so nice?!" She actually sounded angry by this fact as she stood beside his fallen form, stomping her foot. "Ugh!"

Why can't he be a normal guy? Any man would have been all over this-! She motioned to herself, and she was suddenly flooded with memories of the redhead's reaction to seeing her near naked body. Yet he-!

"_I don't want to see you cry again_." She looked down at her hand, his words replaying in her mind.

"Don't touch me again!" She looked down at Ukitake as she held her hand protectively against her chest, a splash of pink going across her nose. With that said she stormed away from his still fallen form with a huff, the blush never leaving her face.

Ukitake slowly lifted himself off of the grass with a sigh—He paused feeling another attack hit him and he started coughing into his hand, holding himself up by his elbow. The coughs where harsh, almost knocking the wind out of him, and the burning scorched his throat like a hot iron poker.

He removed his hand, and his eyes narrowed when he saw the blood splattered in his palm. He reached up and brushed his thumb across his lips, eliminating the blood that was still splotched on them.

* * *

><p>Byakuya was walking down the hallway with a cool yet brisk pace. His scarf was still soaked in the aroma of vanilla, making him feel calmer than usual. Seeing a familiar face walk towards him didn't detour him, instead he kept moving forward.<p>

"Captain Kuchiki!" His face was flushed the moment Renji saw him, which was strange. Byakuya inclined his head, showing his acknowledgement to his lieutenant, but decided not to speak. He continued pass him, and Renji took that as a sign to follow him. "There are several issues that need your attent—" He paused. "You look different." He looked at him closely, as they both continued down the hallway, trying to find what was off about him. "Did you cut your hair?" A sly smirk appeared on Renji's face as he teased him a little.

Yet Byakuya didn't respond as he kept walking ahead of him, going to his office.

"Hey." Renji shrugged. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine." He hummed. "But I went ahead and took your place at the meeting, since you were occupied." His words caused Byakuya to instantly stop moving. "You don't have to thank me." He smiled, feeling proud as he stood beside him.

"The meeting wasn't canceled?" He looked over at his lieutenant. He better have a good reason as to why he did not retrieve him like he ordered.

"No." He shook his head. "I went go get you but—" His face became flushed and he looked away from him, scratching the back of his head nervously. "I have more respect then to bother the two of you…" His words confused the captain greatly. What was he talking about? "But Captain, good for you!" He smiled brightly at him. "If I had a lovely lady like that in my bedroom, my hair would be a mess the next day too."

His eyes narrowed. "Explain."

"I went to your room, and this woman opened your door half-na—" He stopped himself. "I didn't mean to pry, so I left you two alone." Byakuya stood there a moment, registering what he was saying. "Hey, don't worry, I won't tell anyone Captain. What goes on in your private life is—"

"What did she look like?" Byakuya interrupted him, his voice deep and demanding.

Renji's face became flushed, before he shook his head as if trying to forget something. "She was about…" He held his hand up to his chest. "This tall. Her eyes were blue and her hair was…"

"So black, it almost seemed blue?" Byakuya finished.

"Yeah." Renji nodded, placing his hands on his hips. "Why?" After a moment his cheeks became flushed again. "I swear I wasn't looking at anything else!" Renji spoke up, but he paused when he noticed that his captain was no longer standing in front of him. "Captain?"

Byakuya was walking once again, at a faster pace than before, his eyes hard with determination. Yet as he went to his office, the scent of vanilla still surrounded him, the smell that moments ago calmed him, now made him feel enraged.

She was in his room, while he was sleeping…

That fact both disturbed and angered him. He curled his hands into a tight fist by his side. Next time he sees her, he will kill her.

* * *

><p>Kagome was taking a stroll around the Ukitake estate, her bare feet felt good against the wooden walkway. She found it refreshing to go around the place without her boots, leaving them in Ukitake's room and only putting them on whenever she had to leave the large mansion for whatever reason—A loud roar radiating from her stomach stopped her musings. She held her gut and she clamped her eyes shut.<p>

When the attack subsided she opened her eyes again and continued—She staggered a little, and reached out, placing her hand onto the support beam beside her. She placed her other hand onto her head, feeling lightheaded. She looked ahead of her, and blinked away the blurriness that invaded her vision.

Deciding that her small walk should be put on hold, she stared towards Ukitake's room, feeling tired—

She wobbled when she pushed herself away from the pole, no longer using it for support. She took a few more steps, her hand still placed onto her head as the dizziness consumed her. She shook her head when her vision became burry again.

"Whoa." She held her hand out to try and balance herself, yet nothing was there. What wrong… with…

The world started moving in slow motion as her head leaned back. She didn't know what was happening until it was too late and her body felt weightless as it began to fall without warning. The last thing she could see before she hit the hard ground was the scaffold above her-

"I got you." Instead of feeling the cold ground, she was wrapped in warmth as a strong arm was placed around her waist, holding her up. "Higurashi?" She felt a concerned touch against her cheek.

"Uki…" She mumbled, recognizing his white hair even though his face was too blurry to see. "-take…"

Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she was greeted by darkness.

"Higurashi!"

* * *

><p>"<em>Captain Ukitake!" A shout of obedience could be heard echoing throughout the room, snapping the white-haired Shinigami out of his daze. "The fact that you are here shows that you know how important this meeting is, but that means nothing if you're not paying attention to what your fellow members are saying." <em>

"_My apologies." He lowered his head a little, showing his sincerness, before looking back towards the captain-commander Yamamoto._

Ukitake was in his room, doing his paperwork at his desk. He glanced back over at his bed, seeing that she has not moved since he has put her there. Concern started to eat away at him, as he watched over the raven haired woman. He tried to keep his mind busy, and started reading, but his mind would wander and he would get so distracted that he couldn't even do that. He found that burying himself in his work was the only relief he was able to give himself.

"_The fact we let an intruder into Seireitei is a disgrace." The only female captain in the 13__th__ squad spoke up, outraged. "How did she get past us—Past the shield?"_

"_Who knows, but it is quite interesting…wouldn't you agree?" A spark in the scientist eye's lit up, and everyone knew what he was thinking: He wanted to dissect her…_

He sighed and went back to the sheet sitting before him—

"_Don't you think it's strange that everyone here has accepted the proposal except Captain Ukitake and Captain Kyoraku?"Sui-Feng spoke again. "Not only that, but like Commander Yamamoto mentioned: It has been years since he has come to a meeting, yet he has showed up in the two meetings concerning this female intruder?" Ukitake could feel the woman's suspicion bore into him, but he sat quietly in his seat—_

"_Now, now." Shunsui spoke up on his behalf. "You should be ashamed of yourself, bullying a sick man." Sui-Feng just huffed and Ukitake sighed as his friend's choice in words. _

"_Don't think I'm leaving you out either, Captain Kyoraku." She was now glaring at Shunsui. "Why did you disapprove the document to start hunting down the intruder?" _

"_Having a lot of men running around the family estates seems a little…" He allowed his words to fade. "I would prefer if they were women..." Some of the other captains in the room sighed at his comment. _

"_Then what about you Captain Ukitake?" The woman went back to him again. "Why have you not turned in your paper?" _

"_I have been…" He chose his words carefully. "Preoccupied." _

Ukitake looked over at the girl resting in his bed. He laid the paper down, knowing that even work wasn't distracting him anymore as the meeting started replying in his mind over and over again.

"_So we expect you to give us your answer soon, Captain Ukitake?" Commander Yamamoto looked over at him. _

Reaching out, Ukitake grabbed the sheet that has been laying on his desk since the hell butterfly came to him. On top of the paper read: _ACT 354-SD2_

"_Yes, sir." _

He read over the paper, even though he knew he didn't have to. At this point he has pretty much memorized what was written:

_Furthermore we ask that regulated rounds be taken throughout Seireitei as a precautionary measure. We also suggest that the guards patrol around the estates. It has come to our attention that there is a high probability that she has secluded herself into one of the royal family mansions. _

_Other steps are to be taken to bait her out of her hiding spot and ensure her capture. _

The statement made him uneasy, and if he signed this, he knew that she would no longer be safe in his estate. She would have nowhere else to go.

"_Hey, you going to take me home now?" _He reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose as the annoyingly familiar words echoed in his mind.

He also knew that if he signed this, that she would no longer bother him about wanting him to take her home. He placed the paper down on his desk and picked up his pen.

"_Thank you." Her eyes softened towards him as she placed the candy into her mouth with a smile. _

He glanced back over at the woman sleeping on his bed, a saddened look in his eyes. He pressed the tip of the pen to the sheet, and with the same fluentness as usual, he signed his name on the line...

Jushiro Ukitake, Captain of the 13th squad.

Approval of ACT 354-SD2:

_**REJECTED**_

* * *

><p>Kagome slowly pried her eyes open, flinching when the light of the sun made her want to hide her head underneath of the covers, so instead she clamped her eyes shut again. The next thing she noticed was a delicious aroma filling her nose, and she groaned in pain when a stab hit her hard in the gut and she reached up to her stomach.<p>

"Here." When the smell became stronger, she forced herself to open her eyes again.

When she did, she was greeted by the concerned emerald orbs looking down at her. "Ukitake?"

"Can you sit up?" She looked at him for a moment, noticing that he was sitting in a chair placed beside the bed, a bowl of steaming soup in his hand.

"Yeah." She nodded, and slowly got up—Her eyes widened when a wave of dizziness hit her and she raised her hand to her throbbing head- She felt his hand touch her back, as he helped her to sit up. "Thanks."

"Eat this." He was now sitting on the bed, the bowl still in his hand, as he held up a spoonful of the soup to her lips. Her face instantly became flushed and she looked at him as if he grew another head. "You are becoming weaker. Now that you are awake, you have to eat right away. If you don't, you will pass out soon and…" A worried look crossed his expression. "You might not wake up next time."

"I don't under—Mmmph!" Suddenly the spoon was shoved into her mouth.

"No time to explain." He pulled the spoon out of her mouth and she gave a gurgled shout.

She then swallowed the hot broth as it harshly slid down her throat, and gasped for air. "You trying to kill me?!" Tears filled her eyes as the burning sizzled her tongue from the sudden attack from the hot temperature of the soup.

"Sorry." He scooped another spoonful. "It's been a long time since I did this." He raised the spoon up to his lips and blew gently on the hot liquid to cool it down.

Confusion was filled in her orbs as she watched the man blow on the soup for her, before he placed it back to her lips again. "What are you doing?" She couldn't help but ask.

"Helping you regain your strength?" He acted as if it was obvious. When her confusion just got worse with his answer he put the spoon back down into the bowl. "You haven't been eating and your energy was drained."

"Eating?" She repeated. "I don't have to eat, I'm dead—"

"You have power." He told her. "I didn't know until it was too late. It's my fault you got hurt, for not telling you." She saw a look of guilt in his eyes and her expression softened towards him.

She reached out and placed her hand on top of his. He paused and looked up at her questionably. "I thought you were feeding me?" She gave a playful smile at him. He smiled before raising the spoon from the bowl and blowing on it once more. When it was cooled he put the spoon back up to her lips. She opened her mouth a little. "Ahh~"

He chuckled at her playfulness, as he fed her. She hummed in delight, enjoying the delicious soup since it was no longer burning her tongue, and after she swallowed it, she felt the warmth pool in her stomach and spread throughout her body.

She was being fed by a sick man… It was a rather odd situation…

"Does this mean I'm a Shinigami?" She asked him between spoonfuls.

"Not legally, but yes, you have the qualifications to become one."

"So I can open the door and go home?"

He paused as he was scooping another helping of the soup. "If you go through the academy and become a Shinigami." He truthfully told her, yet a deep look was in his eyes as he stared at her soup in thought.

"Don't look so sad, you know you want to get rid of me—!" She gurgled when another spoonful of soup was shoved in her mouth, interrupting her.

She spewed the liquid out of her mouth, the broth gushing forth and soaking the man from head to toe in the sticky substance. He blinked at her, and she just look at him with a smirk, wiping away some of the soup from her lips.

"I actually enjoy your company." He admitted even though he was covered in soup.

"Good, because I'm not going." She huffed. "So you don't have to worry." She watched as he pulled out a napkin from his sleeve and started to wipe away the soup from his face. "School isn't really my strong point, and like bugging you too much to leave."

"I wouldn't have it any-!" His words were cut short when he started hacking up his lung. He placed the napkin over his mouth to muffle the sound to be polite. As she watched the sick man struggle with his coughing, a sad look filled her orbs.

Ukitake coughing like he normally does, but then felt the bowl of soup taken out of his grasp and he looked up. He couldn't raise any questions towards her, for he was still coughing. She placed the bowl in the chair he was occupying before, and she looked back over at him.

"Face me." She ordered him.

"…Why?" He lowered his napkin, his attack finally subsiding.

"Just shut up and let me heal you." Her words caused his eyes to widen in surprise and she huffed. "Hurry, before I change my mind." He moved to the center of the bed, sitting properly in front of her seiza-style, his hands on his thighs. She mirrored him, sitting before him with a serious look on her face. She reached out and placed her hand onto his chest. Her hand glowed pink and she hummed. "Take a deep breath and hold it." She ordered. He did as she asked and took a large gulp of air. He flinched, the sudden inhale of air gave him a sharp pain in his lungs—He released a huge cough—

"!?" Ukitake was at a loss for wards as the pink dust flew out of his mouth, as if he just ate a fairy. Yet he couldn't find his voice to question it, for he continued his coughing spell, and every time he would cough, more sparkles would escape. "Sorry." He finally found his voice after he was done.

"It's alright, try again." He nodded and took a large breath of air, when he did he gave several struggling coughs, but this time he held his breath. After a few seconds, she spoke again. "Now release it slowly." He did as he was instructed, and gradually exhaled, and with it out came the pink mist. Higurashi wave her hand in front of her face, swatting away the smoke. "Again."

He inhaled like before, and he could feel the familiar burning in his throat as another cough escaped his lips in struggle. Yet he held his breath again, and releasing it after he was instructed to, like before his breath was filled with some kind of pink magic. What was she doing?

"Again." She told him to try for a third time. He took a deep breath and held it in- His He paused when he noticed that he didn't cough that time, but the burning was still present. "Exhale." He slowly breathed out, and this repeated several more times, each time becoming easier and easier for him every time he expelled the pink glitter.

It wasn't until he noticed that he was no longer hearing her commands that he realized he was breathing at a steady pace, each time with a deep and powerful inhale, before he released the air and nothing happened. No burning, no pain, and no coughing.

He opened his eyes, unsure when he had closed them, and he saw her smiling at him, both of her hands placed onto her legs as she watched him with mild amusement dancing in her blue pools. He took another deep breath, and he released it with a heavy sigh, the pink smoke no longer present now that her hand was removed from his chest. It wasn't until the third or fourth breath that he felt the weight lift from him and joy started bubbling inside of him. He reached up, placing his hand over his chest in disbelief—A smaller hand was placed over top of his and he looked up, emerald meeting blue.

Reaching out he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to him, placing her smaller form against his. His hand was around her, while the other was behind her head as he held her close.

"Thank you…" He buried his nose in her raven locks, her vanilla scent surrounding him and he sighed.

"_Don't touch me again!"_ His eyes widened at the recent memory and he quickly pulled her away from him.

"I'm sorry. That was impolite of me to-"

"It's okay. I didn't mind." She had a small blush across her nose and she tucked a strain of hair behind her ear. "You smell nice." Her words caused his own cheeks to become enveloped in heat.

Ukitake looked at the woman before him, the one that cured him of his sickness that had haunted him for so long. He had forgotten what it felt like to breathe without pain. He owed her so much—He owed her his _life_…

"_Can you take me home now?"_ The words echoed in his mind and a saddened look appeared on his face.

"I'm sorry…" His voice faded away, showing his hesitation. "I still can't take you ho—" A single delicate finger was placed over his lips, silencing him.

"If you give me some more soup, I'll call it even, Jushiro." She said with a smile. "I'm still starved."

"I can do that." His eyes softened towards her. "…Kagome." A small blush appeared on his face, feeling a little awkward.

She was the first woman he ever called by her first name, other than his sisters…

* * *

><p>The room was empty, other than the shrine where Byakuya stood. His late-wife's smiling picture gave him comfort, and at the same time, filled him with emotions he would rather not deal with.<p>

"Hisana…" Her name whispered from his lips, the incense removing all other scents from his mind—

He paused when vanilla overpowered the smell and he tried not to growl in irritation. That woman's smell is still here? He almost sighed and reached up, removing the scarf from around his neck. He kept it in his hand, yet frowned when the vanilla still lingered around him like the plague. Why was her aroma so strong after all this time?

He looked back up at his wife's picture, as if she would provide answers for him. This time he really did sigh, trying to remove the heavy weight that was placed onto him that seemed to becoming too much for him to bear lately-

A single clap snapped him out of his daze and he snapped his head towards the sound. "May your journey be a safe one."

"You!" His eyes widened as he stared at the woman standing beside him, her hands clasped together in prayer. How long was she here?! He dropped his scarf as he reached for his blade by his hip—He hesitated in removing it form it's sheath, glancing at his wife's portrait. He can't shed blood here…"Leave this room immediately." His voice was cold and commanding as he glared at the woman.

"So you can kill me?" She opened her eyes, questioning him.

"I can kill you here if you wish." He threatened as he started to pull his sword out of it's scabbard.

"If you wanted to kill me here you would have already, but you can't." She stated. "So don't try to act like you will when you're not going to." She called his bluff.

The arrogance…

"Here." She turned to face him, her hands held out for him. "These are yours." He looked at her for a moment, tense. "I'm not going to attack you." She sighed. "If I wanted you dead, I could have done it already, more than once." She smirked. "You are cute when you're sleeping." He held his hand out, and she placed his missing Kenseikan within his palm. "If you ask my opinion, you look better without them."

"…" This woman is _strange_.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm not strange." His eyebrow twitched a little in surprise by her words. Could she read his mind? "Don't be so surprised, I can read you like a book." She sighed, and looked back over at his wife's picture. She continued talking, even though he didn't respond. "How did she die?" She looked back over at him, and he glanced back towards his late-wife's picture. His eyes darkened a little as he stared at her smiling face, old memories coming to his mind. "I didn't mean to bring up anything hurtful." She was once again somehow able to read him easily. "She must have meant a lot to you, by the way you look at her."

"She was my wife." He wasn't sure why he told her this, but he did. "She became very ill."

"I'm sorry." Her words sounded genuine as she looked back at the picture, a saddened look in her eyes.

He continued to gaze at Hisana's picture, yet the strong aroma of vanilla overpowered the incense that was in the room and he had to stop himself from sighing. "You stink, it's distracting me."

"I don't stink!" She huffed.

"Leave." He ordered her.

She placed her hand onto her hip. "If you ask nicely."

He closed his eyes, trying to block the raven haired woman from his mind. "If you leave now, I promise I won't kill you the moment you step out of the room." Yet his comment was met with silence, and he slowly opened his eyes back up, only to look over and see an empty spot beside him. He sighed in relief and he bent down to pick up his scarf—he paused when it was no longer on the floor. "That thief…"

* * *

><p>The girl was sleeping in Ukitake's room, in his bed, beside her was the white scarf she stole a few hours ago. Her hair was fanned out around her head, while one of Ukitake's books was open, and resting on top of her chest, which was softly raising and falling with her breathing. Her hand was placed over the book, holding it in place, while the other lay unmoving by her head, palm up. Her head was turned to the side, and every now and then she would inhale deeply and sigh in her sleep, disturbing several locks of her hair that was loose enough to flutter in the breeze of her breathing.<p>

Byakuya was standing by the bed, his shadow casting over her sleeping form as he stared down at her, his hand resting on the hilt of his zanpakuto. After his last encounter with the intruder, he had come in contact with her enough times to where he was able to familiarize himself with her unique energy, and he was able to track it down. He was surprised to find her in the Ukitake estate, and even more so asleep, in his bed.

This made things much easier. He thought to himself as he stared down at the girl sleeping below him. He slowly drew out his blade, not bothering to call out its name, knowing it wouldn't be worth it, and held his sword out, pressing the edge against her exposed neck.

"_You are cute when you're sleeping." _He hesitated for a moment. This girl had the same opportunity.

He paused as he stared at the peacefully sleeping woman, unaware of the danger she was in. Why did she not kill him? He felt something stir in him, a conflict which rarely happens to him. This small girl has survived him three times at this point— That has never happened before, and he could feel a sliver of respect for the lucky girl.

He looked down at his scarf she stole from him and he reached out, taking it. He then placed the scarf where it belonged, around his neck, and sheathed his blade.

She has survived him a fourth time…

"Now we are even." He turned and walked back towards the door, where Renji was watching and waiting for him.

"I'm sorry Captain…" Renji looked at him with guilt. "You must be deeply hurt." He tried to comfort him and Byakuya stared at him for a moment. "Catching your woman in another man's bed, must cut you deeply…" Hearing his words Byakuya tried not to roll his eyes at his lieutenant.

"I will deal with her after we retrieve Rukia from the mortal realm." He told him as he began walking away.

"Yes sir." Renji nodded his head, and followed after him.

* * *

><p>Yay! Finally a long chapter! Woot. I feel proud of myself. Tell me what you guys think!<p>

The next chapter might take a while, it's been a long time since I've watched the show and now that the next chapter involves me having to actually go by the anime, I will have to re-watch the episodes to know where I'm going with this fic.

I have seen all you guy's input on who Kagome should be with and I appreciate all of them! The vote for the pairing is still up for now, but I might have a solid decision by next chapter and I'll let you guys know!


	5. Improper

A lot of you have been putting your opinions in your reviews for the pairing, and it has finally be decided! It's-! *Dramatic drum roll* _**Jushiro Ukitake**_! Yay! I'm glad I finally was able to pick one out of the many hot guys to choose from.

What? Your choice wasn't Jushiro? Don't worry! Every single male that was on the list will have many 'close' scenes with Kagome, and be heavily hinted or one sided. I will make sure to have many scenes with Kagome with many of the hot guys on Bleach, so really, it's like a **Kagome x Harem **instead of just a single paring.

There were a few questions I read on my reviews, which I have decided to answer here, because the answer will not be revealed in the story plot (probably)

From the user _**cherry-888**_ : (and I'm paraphrasing here) "How can Sesshomaru see Kagome but not Inuyasha? Is it because of Tenseiga?" Yes, it's because of Tenseiga, his father's blade, which is why he can see spirits, Shinigami, and even hollows.

Another question is from _**Joker2113**__: _if Ichigo and his hollow win, how would you incorporate Shiro into  
>the pairing?<p>

Well, as stated a few paragraphs above, Ukitake won the vote. Ichigo and his hollow didn't win the whole sabang, but I will assure you there are going to be many _**many**_ moments of Kagome and Ichigo/Hollow Ichigo.

The only reason this story is labeled Ukitake/Kagome is mostly because there are more romantic moments with Ukitake then any other character on here, and the final ending of the story too…

If any of you have a question, please ask it in your review! If I don't reply, that means your answer will probably be revealed somewhere in the story (or I might reply by PM)

Well, enough of my blabbing—On with the story!

_**Story**_

Ukitake, captain of the 13th division returned home after being called to an important meeting, yet when he entered his room, he found a familiar scene waiting for him: A strange woman lying in his bed.

He walked over his bed, and looked down at the raven haired woman. His eyes softened towards her, as he reached out and picked up the book that was lying on her chest, obviously falling asleep while reading it. He closed the book with a soft snap, and placed it on the nightstand beside the bed.

When he glanced back over at her, he saw a strand of her hair loosely hanging around her face. He carefully hooked his finger underneath of it, his knuckles brushing across her smooth cheek, and moved it away from her face—He paused when a scent wafted into his scenes, other than her usual vanilla fragrance.

He raised his hand, placing the raven strand up to his lips, and he hummed. His eyebrows angled downward when the scent was stronger, and it was very recognizable to him. "Cherry Blossoms." He mumbled, his lips brushing across the soft strand of her hair, before he allowed it to slip from his grasp. She went to go see him again, when he specifically told her not to. "Kuchiki Byakuya." His tone held a sharp ring to it when he spoke the captain's name.

The fact that she continues to see that man, upset him. This wasn't a game, he could—No, he **will** kill her. Why did she not listen to his warning? For his smell to be on her like this he would have to be—A picture of Captain Kuchiki running his fingers through her hair appeared in his mind and he sighed, feeling heat rise up from within him, picturing her and the sixth captain together.

"_Are you jealous?" _Her voice purred from within his mind.

Of course not! He was almost shocked by the words and his face became flushed. He reached up and scratched his head, feeling uneasiness. He was not jealous, just worried for her safety, angry she ignored him, and…_Conflicted_. He looked back down at the slumbering woman. Not only with Captain Kuchiki but…

"She shouldn't be in my bed." He sighed. It was improper…

The way he has been so relaxed around her, was also something he should not be doing. He was pushing many boundaries with her, which was rather inappropriate, and something only married couples should do together. He sighed. But what else could he do? He owed her a great deal of debt for curing his illness, and she had nowhere else to go. Even so, he decided it would be best if he no longer shared a bed with this woman, or be so comfortable around her.

Waking up from a deep slumber, only to have her vanilla scent surrounding him, his pillow and sheets soaked with her delicious aroma from her napping in his bed the night before…

He sighed for the umpteenth time "What am I going to do?" She is causing feelings and complications that he has never had to deal with before…

He glanced out of his window, before an idea came to his mind and he turned, leaving the room to go prepare.

* * *

><p>"<em>They are all liars." A murmur began calling to her. <em>

"…_Liars." She mumbled beneath her breath as she stood in the middle of the hut, a deep darkness consuming her. _

"_You are not dead." The voice whispered sweet words into her ear. "They are just ignoring you." _

_She wanted to will the tears so she could cry out the pain, yet they never came, instead she felt rage boil within her. "Why…?"_

"_They hate you." _

"_They hate me." She repeated, her chest began throbbing, and she reached up to the chain, yanking at the metal oddity that didn't belong there. _

_It continued to echo inside of her mind. It was there, it was always there, talking to her, yet it wasn't until now, she began to hear it. "They don't care about you." It's voice was so clear, and made so much sense, when she thought about it. "They wish you were dead." _

"_They are trying to kill me." She hissed out as a shadow started to dissolve around her from and she felt alone. _

"_You should kill them first, before they kill you." _

"_Kill them…" _

"_That's right, Kagome. Kill all of them, so that they know your pain." _

_She felt her body tremble as the emptiness swallowed her. "Kill them all."_

**POP!**

Kagome's eyes softened as she watched the jester bounce back and forth with its goofy smile painted onto its face. The compact jack-in-the-box Ukitake gave her, placed neatly in her palm while her fingers still held the handle sticking out from the side—

"What are you doing?" Hearing a deep voice call out to her, she glanced below, spotting a familiar icy Shinigami standing below the tree she was currently sitting in.

She smiled at him, and hopped off her branch, landing soundlessly in front of him. "Waiting on you, Byakuya." She noticed his eyebrow gave a small twitch, and her smile grew. "What are you doing out here?"

"This is my estate." He continued to look down at her with a cold glare. "You are the one who is intruding."

"I'm asking you why are you out in the middle of the night. Can't sleep?"

He didn't comment, and instead turned away from her and began walking. Instinctively she followed him. After several minutes of neither one talking, he finally spoke up. "The night air clears my head."

"You got something bothering you?" She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes.

"Nothing that concerns an outlaw."

"Ouch." She gave a small hiss and placed her hand over hear heart. "Is that how you think of me, Byakuya?"

His eyes narrowed, yet he never stopped his walk. "Don't speak of me as if we are friends."

"But we are." She smiled up at him when he glanced at her, questioning her. "What?" She hummed. "You think I didn't notice your smell in the room?" She then motioned to the scarf around his neck. "Or that you took your scarf back, but left my head intact?"

He turned his head back so that he was staring forward once more. "I have more pressing matters to deal with, then defeating troublesome thieves."

"Does it have something to do with that cut on your cheek?" Her expression turned more serious, as she watched him closely.

His eyebrow gave another small twitch, showing that she hit the nail on the head. "My injury is from underestimating the enemy, but he has been dealt with." Even though he tried to hide it, Kagome could see a shadow darkening his grey orbs. He stopped walking as he stared ahead in thought. "My lieutenant, on the other hand, did not come out as lucky as I."

Her eyes narrowed towards him. "How bad is he?"

"He may not make it."

"Take me to him." Her words caused him to pause and look at her.

"What can you—" He was interrupted when she stood onto her tippy toes and placed a soft kiss onto his cheek. His eyes widened in surprise, taken completely off guard, and she laughed.

"Let's go, Byakuya." She smiled at him, and started walking towards the estate gatehouse.

The sixth captain reached up, touching his cheek, his fingers gliding across the smooth surface, the shallow cut now gone. He glanced at the woman's retreating back, before he soon followed. "I believe I warned you about your familiar tone with me, thief."

"My name is Kagome." She smiled to herself, placing her hands inside of her pockets with a hum. "Kagome Higurashi."

* * *

><p>"I didn't know it was this bad." The girl had a look of pity on her face as she stared down at Renji's fallen body lying on the bed.<p>

His lieutenant was wrapped in bandages all over his body, a sheet was pulled up to his chest, covering most of his sliced form and hiding the extent of his injuries. His chest was rising and falling with his heavy but trembling gasps for air, as if every breath caused him unimaginable amount of pain. One could just look upon his defeated form, and tell that he was barely hanging on to life.

"Hey." The girl tapped him on the cheek, causing Renji to snap from his daze and jump from the sudden touch. "Wake up."

"…?" Renji gave a small noise from his parted lips, as he slowly cracked open his eyes to stare blankly ahead.

"I just wanted to ask your permission…" She started to tell him. "Can I kiss you?"

"Now is not the time to joke." Byakuya felt his hand reach for his blade as a tick of annoyance was starting to form above his brow. Yet he was left standing there in a daze when he watched the woman lean over and lay a soft kiss upon his lieutenant's lips. "What are you…" His words faded when he witness Renji's body glow pink, and within seconds the dull glaze over his eyes shone with life—

"!" When he realized what was happening, Renji pushed her away from him and sat up, his cheeks matching the color of his hair. "Have you lost your mind!?" Even though he tried to act mad, it was obvious that the male was hiding his enjoyment behind his fake rage. "I'm sorry Captain Kuchiki! She just attacked me-!" He flinched in pain, and reached up to place his hand over his chest.

"Idiot, don't move." She huffed, and placed a hand on his shoulder, pushing the injured man back down onto the bed.

Byakuya couldn't help but just stare at the exchange, not speaking a word. Remarkable. Just a few moments ago, he was on the verge of death. Not even the 4th squad captain could do anything for him. Who or _what _is she?

"I have to finish healing you." As she spoke, she leaned into him.

Renji's cheeks took on a new shade of red as he began to stammer. "D-don't come near m-me!" He held her back by placing his hands onto her shoulder. "How could you do this with the captain watching!?"

"Well…" She smirked playfully at him. "You look rather sexy with your hair down like that."

"!" Renji's blush covered his entire face and his brown orbs glanced over at Byakuya. Yet Byakuya just looked away from them, deciding to instead stare out of the window.

"Captain, please, control your woman!" Yet his plea was heard on deaf ears. She wasn't _**his**_woman…

"So I can't kiss you?" She gave a small pout towards him.

"Hell no!" He huffed.

She sighed and began rolling up her sleeves. "Guess I'll have to do it the old fashioned way then." She reached out and placed her hands onto Renji's chest. It took several seconds, but slowly the pink glow began hovering around Renji and he looked at the girl with a questioning glance. "It's so much faster if I just kiss you…" She mumbled under her breath and Renji's cheeks became tainted with red once more.

"What are you?" Byakuya calmly asked, as he watched his lieutenant become stronger with each passing minute.

She shrugged her shoulders, but never removed her hands from Renji's chest. "What? You've never seen a Miko before?"

Miko? Byakuya's eyes widened slightly at the word, and he instinctively reached for his blade, his mind screaming at him to slay her. "They are but legends…" Yet he stopped himself, his eyes narrowing at the woman, as his hand was still placed onto his sword's hilt.

"If you are calling me a legend, that must mean we died out long ago, huh?" She sighed, a look of sadness over taking her features. "I guess I'm the last one."

Miko's were humans, like the Quincy's, that had powers beyond that of regular mortals. They had the power to purify **anything:** Hollows, Demons (another legendary myth) Wandering souls, and Shinigami as well. Their power was of a different level and class then the Quincy's ability to manipulate Reishi. A fully trained Miko was one of few things that could kill even a Shinigami with nothing but a single touch, if they wished.

With their great power, came with a great weakness, unlike the Quincy, they lacked the ability to see Shinigami or hollows. Their powers were mostly focused on hunting and destroying demons. After the demons all but became extinct, their number waned, most losing their abilities, while others were hunted down by Shinigami who feared their purifying powers, and what was left was devoured by the hollows. In the end, their power is what killed them, and their inability to see spiritual beings.

Yet here sat before him, a Miko—His hold on his hilt tightened, as his grey orbs narrowed at the woman who was still currently healing his lieutenant, as if she did things such as this on a regular basis. Her powers were not hurting Renji, but healing him… Were the stories of their destructive powers to Shinigami false?

"So tell me, who did this to you Knuckles?" She glanced up.

Renji looked around, before pointing to himself. "Me?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Who else would I be talking to, Porcupine."

"I'm not a—"

Byakuya interrupted his outburst. "It was an orange-haired imposter."

"Orange-haired?" The Miko repeated, a surprised look on her face.

Byakuya noticed her change, and spoke up. "You know him." He stated more than questioned.

She shook her head. "No." She hummed, denying it. "It couldn't possibly be him..." She playfully smiled up at Renji. "Almost done, Knuckles."

"Why do you keep calling me that?" Renji asked.

"Because, it's my nickname for you." She giggled. "It suits you, Knuckles the porcupine."

"I'm not a porcupine!" Renji shouted at her, and she huffed.

"Shout in my ear like that again, and the next time I kiss you, I'll steal your soul."

Renji's cheeks became flushed with color. "You are not going to kiss me again—EVER!"

"You know you liked it." She teased, which only made Renji's cheeks became a darker shade of red, as he gave a hesitated glance towards his captain's direction. Yet Byakuya was more interested in what the Miko said then their petty squabbles.

"Miko's don't have the ability to steal souls." He spoke up, curious.

"They don't." She looked away from Renji and over to him. "I'm just special, because I'm the reincarnation of **that** woman…"

Her words didn't answer his question, but instead made him more curious. She is quite odd—He couldn't help but allow a small sigh to escape his parted lips, as he watched her continue to tease and sexually harass his lieutenant.

_Strange _and _bazaar_ would be a better description…

"If not on your lips." She wrapped her arms around Renji's shoulders, placing her mouth next to his jugular. "Then how about your neck?" Renji started to sweat bullets as he looked over at Byakuya pleadingly. "Just a small mark won't hurt anything…" Her pink lips stood out against his dark skin as she softly placed a kiss upon his neck. In reaction Renji's entire body resembled the color of a tomato.

"Hm." Seeing that his lieutenant was feeling better, and no longer on death's doorstep, Byakuya turned and began walking away from them, going back home-

"C-captain!" Renji called for him, his hand reaching out, while the other was placed on Kagome's shoulder, holding her back as she made kissing noises. "S-save me!"

"You're so c-cute when your f-flustered~!" She teased.

Byakuya sighed when he could still hear Renji's wailing, almost fearful screams, and the girl's playful laughter from down the hallway.

It was in that moment that Byakuya realized that he didn't have to kill the woman. After all, there is no way that this woman could possibly be a Miko…

* * *

><p>"It's very soft." Kagome couldn't help but run her fingers along the sleeve of her new outfit. "No wonder you guys wear it all the time."<p>

"If you wished to come with me, blending in was the best option." Ukitake told her as they continued down the hallway. "Hiding in plain sight."

Kagome lowered her hands and glanced forward, her eyes focusing on the white-haired males back. "We are going to see your lieutenant?" She paused as she tried to remember the girl's name. "Rukia? Rukia Kuchiki?"

Isn't that Byakuya's last name? Are they related? And a lieutenant? That's what Byakuya calls Renji. That means she is to Ukitake as Renji is to Byakuya.

"Yes." Just by his tone, she could tell he was worried. "It seems she got herself into some trouble while she was in the mortal realm."

The rest of the walk was rather quiet, and Kagome didn't mind, in fact she was used to it, after half a millennium traveling with Sesshomaru. Just thinking about the demon lord caused her to feel depressed again, as she pictured his face, angry with her for getting caught and sent to the spirit world.

"_You populously find ways to infuriate me."_ She could already hear him scolding her.

Not like she came to this world on purpose—

"Kuchiki!" Ukitake's cheerful voice snapped her out of her thoughts and she looked up. "Long time no see! You look thinner." He had a smile on his face as he walked up to the cell. "Are you okay?"

"Captain Ukitake…" The girl looked utterly drained of both physical and emotional energy. She looked as if she lost all hope. "I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

"No trouble." He continued to smile at her. "This is my new recruit, Kagome Higurashi." He moved out of the way, and motioned towards her. "She wanted to meet you."

Kagome nodded her head towards her. "Hello."

Rukia nodded her head in return, being very polite and proper. "Pleased to meet you."

"Don't worry Kuchiki, I'll talk with the others and lower your sentence."

After Ukitake and Rukia began talking with each other, Kagome couldn't help but glare at the girl sitting on the other side of the bars. The conversation between the two becoming soft murmurs in the back of her mind, as her thoughts were occupied with more important matters.

Does Ukitake not sense that-? She felt her power resonate with the odd aura that clung to the girl like a sickness, wishing to purify it. There was something wrong with her, something not natural.

Kagome reached up and clutched the jewel hanging below her collar bone, feeling that it too, was calling out to the disturbance the girl was creating unconsciously. What is that? Does she know about it? Just taking one look at the girl, and she knew that she was innocent- Her eyes hardened towards the unsuspecting woman sitting in the chair, as Ukitake continued his conversation with her.

Whatever parasite it is feeding on that woman—She'll have to get rid of it…

* * *

><p>Renji was walking down the hallway, wearing his yukata, since he was off duty for the day. He was on his way to see Rukia—His eyes widened when he spotted something off in the distance, walking his way.<p>

Oh god!

He quickly turned and started running in the other direction—

"Knuckles!" Her smiling face appeared before him and he immediately froze. Shit! She's fast! "What are you doing here?"

"I-I" No words could come out of his mouth.

"What are you wearing?" She reached out and placed her hand against his open chest and his cheeks took on a nice shade of red. "White with pink flowers?" She hummed, her finger slowly going down his broad chest before she smirked and hooked her finger on his grey sash tied at his waist. "Very nice…" She leaned over as she stretched the sash, taking a small peek.

His entire body turned red and he pulled away from her. "D-don't do that!" What is wrong with her!

"You know the reason you wear something like that is so women could look at you." She huffed as she got closer to him. In reflex he took a step back. "But you say you don't want me to look?" She pouted. "You tease." As she looked up at him, amusement was dancing in her blue orbs, making him feel nervous. "Hey." She reached out and touched his chest again, and he flinched. "Is it true that you got tattoos all over your body?" She opened his yukata more, and Renji quickly swatted her hand away. "The whole point of having tattoos is to have people look at them." She huffed.

"I didn't say **you** could see them."

"I think I see a pattern here." She placed her hands onto her hips with a hum. "You want everyone else looking but me."

"You are with Captain Kuchiki!" He tried to argue with her.

"That has nothing to do with me seeing your tats!" She reached out and with a jerk, opened the front of his yukata, revealing his chest. "HA!" She smirked, seeing some of the tattoos he had along his collar bone.

His entire face turned red and he pulled away from her—Doing so caused one side of his yukata to slip off of his shoulder and her eyes suddenly became feral. Uh-oh. Renji took a step back, cursing inside of his mind when he tripped over his own feet—

"Oomph!" He landed harshly on his rump and he glanced up—His eyes widened in horror when he saw the crazed woman take advantage of his mistake and jumped for him. He turned and tried to quickly get back up, his instincts telling him to run. "G-get away from me-!" He grunted when something landed on his back and the weight knocked him onto his stomach. "NO!" He was desperately trying to get away from the mad woman, clawing at the floor while her hands roamed all over him. She had her legs on either side of his waist as she forcefully pulled back his yukata from behind. "Please stop!" He was trying his best to pull away from her, but she was too strong, and tears of horror started pouring from his eyes. "I won't betray Captain Kuchiki!"

"Stop being so dramatic!" He felt a hard yank on his hair-bow, and his crimson locks fell down around him.

"What is going on here?" Hearing the voice, both froze in their movements: Kagome straddling Renji's waist from behind, while pulling his robe down, and Renji digging his fingers into the wood as he tried to escape the insane woman's clutches.

"Captain Ukitake!" He looked up at the male with pleading eyes. For the love of god, help me!

"I see you have met my new recruit, Kagome Higurashi." Yet the white-haired Captain just smiled at him, not noticing his silent beg for help. "Kagome, stop teasing lieutenant Abarai." He frowned at her slightly, before looking back towards him apologetically. "I'm sorry Abarai. She can be a little… _playful_."

"**Playful**!" He screeched the word while still being pinned to the floor. "She's trying to rape me!"

He felt a gentle breeze against his ear, and he froze—"It's not rape…" Her lips brushed against his lobe and he shivered. "If you want me to." His heart skipped a beat and he swallowed the lump in his throat. He felt her smirk against his ear. "Your heart just went 'thump' didn't it?"

His turned his head away from her, his already flushed cheeks becoming redder. Damn it…

Hearing her giggling in amusement caused him to growl in frustration, and anger boiled within him from his pride being hurt by a mere woman—She gave a surprise yelp when he turned around and in one quick motion slammed her down onto the floor. He was smirking as he hovered above her, his face a few inches away from hers, and the red locks of his hair, falling around them like a curtain. Victory…

"Ooo~" Instead of a look of defeat, the girl held a pleased expression. His breath caught in his throat when he felt her hands stretch across his chest, before her fingers went along his exposed shoulders and down his bare arms, stopping at his elbows, where his yukata was hanging loosely after almost being ripped off from his person. "This is even better." He realized the position he put them in and he cursed inside of his mind. Shit-

His world shifted as she took advantage of his momentary distraction, and he grunted when his back hit the floor. He looked up, only to find himself staring at her smiling face, as she straddled his hips, their roles reversed.

"Don't be so impatient." She purred. "You can have your turn after I'm done…" He felt her hungry touch across his chest once more and his breathing became ragged as his eyes fogged over. He opened his mouth to object, yet the only thing that could come out was a small moan.

"Kagome…" Ukitake placed his hand onto her shoulder, causing her to pause and look up at the captain. "I told you to stop teasing the lieutenant." A disappointed look was on his face as he shook his head at her. "We should head back."

She looked at the white-haired captain, before a sigh escaped her lips and she looked down at Renji with a pout. She bent down till her lips were once again placed up to his ear and he shivered when he felt her breath across his lobe.

"Looks like I'll have to see your tattoos another time, Knuckles."

Words wouldn't form, and all that was going through his mind was a giant blur. Even after the weight lifted from him, he still continued to lay upon the wooden floor in a daze.

What just happened…?

"What were you doing?" Ukitake didn't openly question her until they were way beyond hearing distance, walking down the corridor without anyone else around.

She shrugged, almost rolling her eyes at his scolding tone. "I was just having a bit of fun."

"Such a …" The honor bound Shinigami's cheeks turned a nice shade of pink. "Outward show of intimate affection is—"

"Improper?" She finished his sentence with a huff.

He sighed, glancing at her out of the corner of his eyes as they continued walking down the hallway. "Such acts are best done in private, behind closed doors."

She smirked and stepped in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. "Does that mean its okay to kiss me if we are in your room?" She reached up to touch his face, but she was stopped when his hand softly grasped her wrist.

His usual cheery disposition was burdened with sadness as he looked at her. "I'm sorry." He bent down so that he could whisper to her, his height usually over towering her own otherwise. "I do not give away my heart so easily."

"Neither do I." She told him.

He had a look of uncertainty and he gave a quick flick with his eyes, motioning behind him. "Then what was that display back there with Abarai?"

"I told you it was just fun." She sighed as she looked away from him. "I have been alone for so long…" She mumbled under her breath. She was with Sesshomaru but—"My hands would go through everything and everyone." She looked back up at him as a pain stabbed her, just thinking about it. "Not being able to touch anything or be touched…" She reached out with her free hand and placed it against his cheek with a look of longing in her eyes. "I missed it greatly."

He didn't stop her this time, and as he looked down at her he had a look of pity in his orbs and it almost made her cringe. She hated when people looked at her like that. "I'm sorry." He apologized for a second time.

"Don't be. I have another reason why I enjoy teasing him." She leaned closer to his face, whispering the words to him softly. "I also think that Renji looks really cute when his flustered." Slowly she trailed her fingers down his cheek and jawline, relishing the feel of his smooth skin. Her expression softened when she saw a dash of color appear on his usual pale cheeks. "The same as you."

He pulled away from her, and released her wrist from his gentle hold. "We should return home."

He tried to play it cool, but it was hard to pull off for his cheeks were still tainted crimson as they continued their walk down the hallway, back to the Ukitake estate.

* * *

><p>Renji was pacing back and forth in the hallway, muttering to himself. He was debating with himself, and every now and then he would stop—only to shake his head in doubt and return back to his pacing.<p>

"I'm going to tell him." His mind was set as he stood tall and proud. He turned and barged into the room, the door giving a powerful slam and almost ripped off its hinges from the force. "Captain Kuchiki!"

Byakuya was sitting behind his desk, signing documents and other necessary things that captains had to do. "Lieutenant Abarai." He didn't even look away from his papers as he acknowledged him. "Why are you causing such a commotion in my office?"

Upon seeing the Shinigami, Renji suddenly lost his courage and he felt a lump appear in his throat. He took a deep breath and gathered what little bravery was left and he walked up to his desk. "It's about Kagome Higurashi."

Yet the cold male just continued scribbling down on his papers, but after a moment he paused. "Oh, yes..." He acted as if he just remembered who he was referring to. He finally stopped writing and decided to give him his undivided attention. "What about her?"

_She is unfaithful and you should leave her._ He repeated the same words that he has been saying in his mind over and over again. He took a deep breath and readied himself.

"I'm sorry sir but she…" He could still feel her hands roaming all around his body and his cheeks took on a crimson shade. "She's-!" The woman you are sleeping with is hitting on me! "She…" She tried to rape me! "I-I." Yet no words would come out of his mouth as he felt nervous under the Captain's stare.

For once, Renji was at a loss on what to do…

Captain Ukitake's voice echoed I his mind. _"Kagome, stop teasing lieutenant Abarai."_

He called her by her first name… They must be _close_…

He remembered how angry the captain got when he caught the girl sleeping in Captain Ukitake's bed. He tried to put on his usual act, as if he didn't care, but Renji knew that the male must have been hurt, so he tried to comfort him as best as he could.

But now that same woman, his captain's lover, is sexually harassing him! He wanted to tell him, but…

He pictured the captain's rage pointed towards him and his body felt cold. He reached up and placed his hand around his neck, feeling the cold blade of the captain's sword pressed against his throat.

"She is a wonderful woman sir!" He gave a nervous laugh and scratched the back of his head. "You are lucky to have her!"

Byakuya just stared at him for a moment. "…" Without speaking a word he went back to his paperwork and Renji sighed.

Maybe it would be best if he didn't know after all…

* * *

><p>"What is it you have to show me?" Kagome's curiosity was gushing out as she continued to keep her eyes closed. A smile was on her face as she held onto Ukitake's sleeve, while he was walking around the estate, leading her somewhere.<p>

She could hear his deep chuckle. "It's not a surprise if I tell you."

She sighed, her grip on his white robe sleeve tightening a little, yet her smile never left. He is being rather playful today… It was nice.

"Hey." She called to him, to get his attention as she began a conversation while she still kept her eyes closed. "I found this wonderful hot springs today—" She paused when he stopped walking, and she decided to tell him about it later.

She could feel the bubbling of her excitement in her chest start to build. "Okay, open them."

She did as she was told and opened her eyes. She looked around the room, not sure what she was looking at. "What is it?" She didn't understand.

It looked like a normal room to her. It was rather small, barely room to hold the bed and bookshelves placed along the wall, which were filled with books—

"This is your room." His words caused her to pause and look at him.

"Mine?" What was he talking about? "I'm not allowed in your room anymore?" She could feel a small pain stab her in the chest and she flinched.

"I didn't say that." He sighed. "This used to be my recovery room, for when my sickness took its toll on me." He turned and motioned for her to look outside. "See, we are on the pond." She glanced around, seeing that the room was built on top of one the ponds on the estate. She looked down the wooden walkway which they used to get to the room and she tilted her head. "You healed me." He reminded her. "So I don't need it anymore."

Even though he was explaining it to her, she still felt something grasping her heart, and she reached up, placing her hand over her chest to try and sooth the throbbing.

"I kept my books in here for you to read, so all I did was add a good bed with a frame." He hummed. "I usually just sit on the floor and would look out of the window, or feed the carp."

"I don't understand." She interrupted him, showing that she was still confused. "You're kicking me out?"

"No, I'm just giving you a room of your own to sleep in and relax."

"Am I bothering you?" She turned to look at him and he shook his head, raising his hands up in defense.

"Of course not—"

"Then why are you moving me away from you?" He looked as if he was about to say something, but then he paused and looked away from her, guilt flashing in his eyes for a moment and she nibbled on her lower lip. So he was doing it to get away from her… She could feel the sting of tears start to form beneath her eyes. "I knew it." She sighed. "You are getting tired of me always being around you and causing trouble."

"_Lord Sesshomaru?" Hearing her call his name, he inclined his head showing he was listening. "Are you sure you want me around?" She sighed. "All I do is cause trouble for you." Those masked creatures have been attacking them a lot recently. _

"_You are quite troublesome." He told the truth. _

_She snorted. "Gee, thanks." _

Feeling a comforting touch upon her cheek, Kagome flinched and pulled away from him, snapping out of her small flashback.

Ukitake frowned towards her, a hurtful expression on his face from her rejection as he slowly pulled his hand back to rest by his side. "I enjoy your company very much, Kagome." He glanced out of the corner of his eyes, towards the bed. "I just can't have you sleeping in the same bed with me anymore." He admitted. "It's—"

"Improper?" She almost snorted, suddenly hating that particular word more and more.

He reached his hand out again, but she swatted it away and his eyes widened slightly at her actions, taken off guard. "I'm going to take a bath…" Maybe the water will relax her.

She didn't wait for his response and turned around, leaving the Shinigami behind in the small room.

"_But this Sesshomaru admits that you do not make one's life dull, either…" Kagome smiled softly to herself, taking his words as a compliment. _

Sesshomaru…

She reached up and harshly wiped away her tears with the back of her sleeve. "I miss you."

* * *

><p>"<em>You should kill them first, before they kill you." <em>

"_Kill them…" _

"_That's right, Kagome. Kill all of them, so that they know your pain." _

_She felt her body tremble as the emptiness swallowed her. "Kill them all."_

_Kagome screamed out in pain and she yanked on the chain as the metal felt like it was burning her like acid. She reached up to her face, yelling out in dismay as the shadows engulfed her. _

"_Kill them." He whispered into her ear, as the darkness leaned over her from behind. "Kill them, Kagome." She could feel him smirking behind her ear and she shook her head violently, swiping at the air as she had her eyes clamped shut, fearing the worst should she give in to the call of despair. "They hate you. They need to feel your pain—" _

"_SHUT UP!" She screamed out, her hand grasping the nightstand in front of her. With all her might she took hold of the furniture and with a great burst of rage tossed it towards nothingness. _

"__-u_-u_-_" Yet he just chuckled in amusement at her. _

"_What was that?" Kagome snapped her head towards the voice and her eyes widened when she spotted Shippo walking towards where she was standing. Everyone else in the room had a look of caution, most had their weapons drawn as they looked around at who threw the nightstand across the room. "I don't see anything…" _

_Her chest ached as she looked down at the small fox, who she concentered as her own son. A hunger started to build in her and she licked her lips. She raised her trembling hand towards him._

"_Kill him." The darkness echoed in her mind. "Quench your hunger." _

"_Kill…" She took a staggering step towards him, her outstretched hand coming closer to her target as her eyes began to turn dull. "Eat…" Her hand grasped Shippo's shoulder, and she had a deathlike grip on him, not willing to let go now that she finally caught him. _

"_Ow~!" Shippo winced and he reached up, touching his shoulder as he hissed in pain. "Something's got me!" _

_Everyone rushed to his side, and Kagome jumped back from pure instinct. A blade swiped at the air where she stood, and she barely dodged in time. She stood there for a moment, watching, as her chest was heaving up and down, the air feeling thicker and her chest constricted. _

"_You alright Shippo?" Inuyasha asked as he had his sword drawn, his eyes darting back and forth trying to find the one who attacked him. _

_Kagome's dull eyes had a look of regret in them, and she looked down at her hands with horror. _

_What was she just about to do…? _

"_You were about to kill him, Miko." The voice seemed to be enjoying this fact, as he once again laughed at her expense. "_K-_K-_-_"_

"_I need to get away from here." From them—Far, far away. _

_She turned around and left, her feet moving as fast as they could carry her. "You can't hide your true desires, Miko." The voice still loomed around her. _

"_Shut up." She placed her hands over her ears. "Shut up. Shut up. Shut up!"_

_Try as she might, she could still hear his dark chuckle within her mind. "You can't run from me Miko." She shook her head, and screamed at him to leave her alone. "I am apart of you, and I will __**never**__ leave…"_

_She crumbled onto the ground, a feeling of relief washing over her as the voice began to slowly fade. She looked up, and her eyes dulled when she saw a familiar unmarked grave before her. Her body trembled as she placed her forehead onto the dirt and wailed in despair. She wanted to cry out her pain, yet no tears fell, which only made her scream out more. _

"_YOU DON'T CONTROL ME!" _

"_Not yet…"The darkness slowly receded, back into the shadows where it belonged. _

_Curling her knees up to her chest, Kagome screamed out in horror, holding her hands over her ears as the insanity slowly ate away her mind._

Kagome snapped her eyes open, and she reached up, placing her hand onto her chest. She sighed when the hard lump of the jewel was pressed against her palm, and pushing against her chest, between her bosom, the chain no longer there. Her eyes darkened as she placed her hands beneath the calming heat of the water she was currently bathing in. She hummed, her mind in a haze as she lifted her hand, and watched as the water slipped through her fingers.

She lowered her body into the water till only her head was above its steaming surface, and leaned her head back as she stared at the ceiling above her. It has been a very long time since she has last thought about that. As she soaked, her mind was filling with memories, both good and bad. Her thoughts started becoming darker, the longer she tried to remember, and she could feel herself becoming submerged in despair, whenever her mind pictured Sesshomaru, and the fact that she might not be able to see him again. She could feel her chest becoming heavy as the darkness tried to suffocate her.

She reached behind her head, feeling for something. Her hand went down and touched dirt, before she moved on and patted another place, searching. When her finger touched something solid she hummed. She grasped the object softly, before holding it out in front of her, barely above the water. She raised her other hand out of the hot liquid gripping the small handle carefully.

She began singing along with the tune, as the melody echoed through the entire hideout:

'Dun- Nana-Na-La-La-La-La'

"In-the-past-their-was-a-half-breed."

'Nana- Nana- Nana-Na'

"Who's-heart-was-full-of-e-vil."

'Dun- Nana- Na-La-La-La-La.'

"But-then-the-girl-gives-up-her-life- and—"

**POP!**

Kagome's expression softened as the happy joker bounced back and forth, driving away the darkness, and a small smiled appeared on her face.

"**Down**-goes-the-de-mon."

* * *

><p>Kagome was tossing back and forth on the mattress, unable to sleep. She sighed, and looked over, seeing the Shinigami uniform that Ukitake gave her. An uneasy feeling started to settle in her stomach and she rolled over, pulling the covers up to her chin. She closed her eyes, trying to allow the sound of the splashing water surrounding her room to lull her into a sleep…<p>

"_I enjoy your company very much, Kagome." _

She slowly opened her eyes, and groaned when she noticed that she had _still_ been laying there for several hours, unable to get any beauty rest. Her mind wouldn't shut up, and she was having trouble finding any peace in the jumble of her thoughts to get any sleep. Seems the hot springs didn't help much after all.

"_I just can't have you sleeping in the same bed with me anymore."_

She grumbled beneath her breath and tossed her covers off of her body. She placed her bare feet onto the wooden flooring, and walked out of the room, only wearing her dress shirt and underwear beneath.

She was going to settle this, and then maybe she can get some sleep…

* * *

><p>Ukitake was sleeping peacefully in his bed, wearing his usual night-wear, a dark grey yukata. Most of the night he was struggling to fall asleep, his thoughts filled with a certain raven haired woman, and her tear filled eyes. He felt upset and guilty for being the one that caused her tears, but after several hours of staying awake, his body finally gave up and he was able to go into a dreamless sleep…<p>

_U…? Ukitake…?_

He groaned in his sleep as something echoed in the darkness.

_Ukitake?_

It called to him again, and he felt a gentle touch on his chest, giving him a soft shake.

What is it? He tried to call forth all his strength to wake up, but he was so tired. What time was it?

…n't sleep.

What? He slowly cracked open his eyes and looked up. He glanced over, seeing nothing but a blur, and he rubbed his eyes. This only served to make it worse and he sighed.

"I can't sleep." The voice was clearer, and he hummed noticing the voice was obviously female. It must be one of his younger sisters…

Out of pure habit he reached over and pulled the covers away, inviting her into the bed so she could crawl in, like they always did when something was bothering one of his many younger siblings and they couldn't sleep.

Instead of feeling the usual weight of them crawling into the bed, he felt another shake trying to wake him up. "Ukitake, it's me, Kagome."

"Kagome?" He blinked, the surprise shocking him out of his daze and he glanced up. His eyes widened when sure enough, the female was looking down at him with a saddened expression on her face.

He slowly sat up, and looked at her with worry. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm sorry to bother you Ukitake but..." He paused 'Ukitake'? He frowned a little. She was calling him by his last name again—"I can't sleep." She repeated.

He glanced at her, and saw that she wasn't wearing any pants, and his cheeks took on a nice shade of red, and he coughed into his hand, trying to clear his throat. "Could you put on some pants?"

"No." Her tone left no room for argument and he sighed.

"Why can't you sleep?" He watched as she looked at him.

She was obviously struggling with herself, for she would open her mouth to say something, before she would close her mouth again and nibble on her lower lip—A bad habit she seemed to have whenever something was bothering her.

A memory of her tear-filled eyes flashed in his mind and he felt guilt wash over him. He flinched, reaching up to his aching chest to try and sooth the pain. She didn't have to tell him, he knew the reason…

"_I don't understand." She interrupted him, showing that she was still confused. "You're kicking me out?"_

"_No, I'm just giving you a room of your own to sleep in and relax." _

He watched her shift in her spot, still debating on whether or not to tell him.

"_I knew it." She sighed. "You are getting tired of me always being around you and causing trouble."_

He took a deep breath— and the only reason he could do so was because of the woman standing beside him—He sighed as the guilt grew and his eyes held much sadness. He glanced back over towards the girl before shaking his head, disappointed at himself.

"_I enjoy your company very much, Kagome." He glanced out of the corner of his eyes, towards the bed. "I just can't have you sleeping in the same bed with me anymore." He admitted. "It's—"_

"Improper."

"What?" Kagome paused and looked up at him, confused.

He smiled at her and reached out, pulling the covers away. He patted the spot beside him, inviting her into the bed. "I'm sorry, Higurashi." He called her by her last name, knowing that there was tension between them. Until it was fixed, and she forgave him, it would be best to keep things proper for now. "I know now, that what I did was wrong, and I'm sorry." He apologized. "If you want, you can sleep with me tonight, if it will ease you."

A relieved smile appeared on her face. "Are you sure? I'm not wearing any pants?" She reminded him.

He chuckled lightly. "It won't kill me…" _Probably_—He paused when he saw tears start to swell in her blue orbs, making his eyes widened. Eh! Why is she crying?! He began to panic. "Miss Higurashi—" He gave a small grunt when her body crashed into his, her slender arms wrapping around his neck.

"I thought you were mad at me." She buried her face into his chest.

"Of course not." He smiled down at her, as he reached out and rubbed soothing circles onto her back. "Please don't cry." He ran his hand threw her silky raven locks. "I don't like seeing you cry."

"But I don't listen to you, and I do 'improper' things…" She began to say.

"It's true, you don't listen." He chuckled again. "But you are your own person, and can do whatever you please." He told her. "It's not like your one of my underlings, if you want to listen to my advice you can, but if you want to do something else… that's fine too."

Ukitake must admit that he has to get use to that idea—This type of situation has never happened to him before… Most people listen to his commands, but this woman is so rebellious. He has never met anyone like her before. Not only that, but inviting a woman into his bed—A blush rushed into his cheeks. That is definitely a new experience for him.

"Thank you." She pulled away, giving a small sniffle. He frowned a little when he saw the tears were still falling from her eyes. He gently grasped her chin, and tilted her head up so he could look at her face.

"_Not being able to touch anything or be touched…I missed it greatly."_

Knowing that she enjoys physical touch, he reached out and brushed away the tear from the right side of her face. "As for things being improper…" He bent down and softly kissed away the tears on the other side of her cheek. "We are behind closed doors after all." He pulled away, smiling when he saw a red dash of color spreading over her nose. He hummed to himself as warmth spread over him from the sight of her flushed features.

She looked rather adorable like that…

* * *

><p>The first thing Ukitake noticed was the smell of vanilla, and the scent caused a small smile to appear on his face. Slowly he opened his eyes, and he paused, blinking in surprise when her sleeping face was mere inches from his, their noses touching. He glanced down, noticing that his arm was draped over her, keeping their bodies close, and a dash of color went across his cheeks. He knew he invited her to sleep in his bed with him tonight but still…<p>

When he tried to move his arm from around her, she shifted in her sleep and he froze. He tried to pull away from her, but then he felt her arm wrap around him, and pull his body closer to her for warmth. He sighed, after the third failed attempt to pull away from her.

He just laid there for several moments, staring at her peaceful expression. Seeing some of her hair falling around her, he slowly moved his hand up her body, from its resting place around her waist. He could feel her shirt start to bunch and raise up as he ran his large hand up around her feminine hips, and across her lower back, before moving around to her side. She squirmed a little in her spot, giving a soft moan. The sound and movement caused him to freeze. After a moment, she sighed, and he released the breath he didn't know he was holding, and he continued, slipping his hand from under her arm.

With his hand free, he reached up and gently brushed her hair away from her face, tucking the strands behind her ear. With her face free of the annoying hair, he smiled to himself looking upon her resting face—

"Touch me like that again." She opened her eyes, amusement dancing within them. "It felt good."

"!" His cheeks instantly became hot as his green orbs stared into her blue ones.

"Ah, don't be shy just because you know I'm awake." She purred, pulling him to her, as she pressed her body as close to his as she could. "Or do you only like touching women when they are sleeping?" She pressed her forehead onto his with a smirk. "Pervert." He closed his eyes and sighed, trying to calm himself. He knew this would probably happen, but no amount of preparation could prepare him for this—"You know, I've been holding myself back when around you, because I know you are a gentleman, and I respected that." She hummed in amusement. "But now that I know you are okay with it…" She wrapped her arms around his neck, smirking. "How about we do something _improper_?"

She started leaning into him, and he reached up, placing his hand over top of her approaching lips. "I told you before." He scolded her a little. "I don't give away my heart so easily."

She gave a small pout behind his hand. "You mean to tell me…" She lowered her hands, allowing them to go across his opened chest. "Your heart isn't beating faster from my touch?" She held her hand over his heart, trying to feel his heartbeat.

He reached up and placed his hand over hers, but did not remove it. "No." A disappointed look came across her features. "I'm sorry." He found himself apologizing, not wanting her to be sad. He sighed. "Why would you want me anyway?" He couldn't help but ask. "I'm much too old for you." He told her. She was so young and beautiful. "Why don't you try someone more your age, like-" The first image that appeared in his mind was of a certain captain of the sixth squad and he paused, filling something stir within him.

_Kuchiki Byakuya. _

The other day, she did have his scent on her… It was rather strong, and that wouldn't have occurred from battle. The only way that could have happened would be… His green orbs stared into her blue ones, which were still only a few inches away. Like this…

"You know…" She hummed as she tucked her head underneath of his chin. "You smell nice." She sighed in contentment. "Like sunflowers." He could feel her eyelashes tickling him as they brushed across his skin, closing. "Besides… I don't think you are_that…" _She released a large yawn. "…old..." Within minutes he could hear her relaxed breathing as she fell back asleep.

He wrapped his arms around her, and closed his eyes as well, her vanilla aroma surrounding him. If she becomes close to Kuchiki, he couldn't do anything to stop her. The image of the cold but powerful sixth captain appeared in his mind again and he sighed.

Maybe it was for the best…

But he couldn't help but feel something heat up at the thought of the Shinigami with her. He didn't know what this feeling was, but he didn't like it…

He pulled her to him, pressing her body close to his protectively, and within minutes, he too, fell back into a peaceful sleep as her delicious scent calmed him.

* * *

><p>"So all Shinigami have a zanpakuto?" Kagome questioned him as she looked away from the book she was reading over to him.<p>

"Yes." He was scribbling his signature on the papers before him.

Now that he was cured, he could be in his office doing the paperwork but… He glanced at the woman out of the corner of his eyes, who was at the moment reading one of his books about Shinigami, while she was lying on his bed.

"Does that mean you have one too, Jushiro?"

He smiled softly to himself at hearing her call him by his first name. "Yes, Kagome, it does."

"What does it do?" She was curious.

He chuckled softly. "It's a secret."

"Everything is always a secret with you…"

"Keeps you interested, doesn't it?" He questioned. He smiled when he heard her mumbling things under her breath as she was flipping through the pages, and he glanced over, seeing her cheeks colored a nice shade of pink.

"You're a captain, right?" He nodded his head. "That means you have a bankai."

"Yes I do." He couldn't help but be amused at her curiosity—

"And zanpakutos are the key to get into the mortal realm." Her words caused him to freeze in his movements.

That's right… She is trying to get home. He forgot about it—Is that why she is doing research on Shinigami-?

"_How about we do something __**improper**__?" _He replayed images of that morning, over in his mind and a frown appeared on his face.

Was she doing those things just to seduce him so she could go home…? His heart felt a small twinge of pain at the mere thought of it, and he glanced back over towards her, as a heavy weight was placed on him. He didn't want to believe it but…

He also noticed that it has been a long time since she has asked him to take her home. Why? Did she decide that she does not want to go to the mortal realm anymore or—Does she got something bigger planned? He hoped it was the first option…

"_Do you still want to go home?" _

"_Of course." _

"_Why?"_

He could clearly remember the last conversation they had about her home. The one thing she mentioned was a man—'Sesshomaru' she called him.

"_He meant a lot to me, of course I would remember him." _

"How close were you?" He asked.

His question caused her to pause in her reading and look towards him. "Close to what?"

"You and this 'Sesshomaru' you mentioned before."

"Oh." She looked back to her book, a smile on her face. "I love him."

He felt his heart skip a beat in surprise and he almost choked. He coughed harshly into his hand, trying to clear his throat. "L-love?"

"Y-yes." She made fun of his stuttering. "Why? Are you jealous?"

"No." He shook his head and focused on his paperwork once more. "You are very…" He allowed the words to fade as he tried to think of the right word. "_Intimate_ with others. I didn't know you already had your heart for another."

"I love him." She said again with a small smile of amusement on her face as she flipped through the pages of the book. "But not in a physical way." She told him. "We have been through a lot, and been together for a very long time. Our bond goes beyond that." She tried her best to explain. "I have a similar relationship with my other past friends, who were like family to me." Her expression softened a little as she thought back. "It took a lot longer for the ice prince to warm up to me, but the connection I have with him is stronger than any other."

"I have many siblings, but there are many in my squad who I feel are like my own brothers and sisters."

"Oh?" She glanced over at him with a hum. "How many siblings do you have?"

"Five brothers and two sisters who are all younger then me." He couldn't help but smile as he thought about them. "we are very close—"

"Gee!" Kagome whistled, interrupting him. "You have a big family, uh?" He chuckled at her amazement. "I have a smaller brother but…" She looked down sadly. "I won't be able to see him again."

"Kagome…" Hearing her depressed tone, he sighed and picked up the next sheet for him to look over and sign. "I've noticed that you haven't been asking me to take your ho-!" His eyes widened and he stood up, the quick movement causing the chair he was sitting in to fall onto the floor with a thud.

"What is it?" Kagome knew something was wrong.

He placed the paper down onto his desk, a stern look on his face. "I have to go." He turned and walked over to his closet, taking out his Captain's uniform and putting it on. "I have to see Commander Yamamoto."

"Why?" She laid her book onto the bed, as she watched him with a curious expression.

He grabbed his zanpakuto that was resting on his dresser, placing it into its rightful place on his left hip. "It's Rukia."

"Byakuya's sister?" Ukitake paused when he noticed that she called the captain by his first name.

He shook his head, deciding that now was not the time to be distracted by such small details. "My suggestion to lower her sentence has been rejected." His eyebrows angled together as he picked up the paper and folded it neatly. "In fact, it has be raised beyond normal reason: She is to be executed in 25 days."

"What!?" She was on her feet in an instant, staring at him with shock.

He looked down at the floor with worry, as he placed the folded paper into his captain's robe for safe keeping. "I have to go to the court, and try to reason with them. Stay here—"

"I'm going to see Byakuya." Her words interrupted him and he paused, looking at her with a questioning glance, but he was left standing there, stunned, when the woman was no longer there, leaving him alone in his room. He sighed and placed his hand over his heart, as something squirmed beneath his chest in uneasiness.

The first thing she thought of was: " 'Byakuya'." He spoke the captain by his first name and he shook his head, not liking out odd it felt. He then turned and left, going to see the commander and demand an explanation.

* * *

><p>Kagome stood next to the sleeping captain's bed, a serious look on her face as she stared down at the resting Shinigami. She left in such a hurry, worried for the cold captain that she forgot to change out of her sleepwear…<p>

As she looked upon his sleeping form, she couldn't help but mumble "Déjà vu" Knowing that this was exactly like before—other than her missing pants.

Instead of the cold captain changing appearance into a certain sliver haired demon lord, he was still resting with his black hair and calming aura as the scent of cherry blossoms surrounded him. Seeing the strands of black blocking his peaceful face from her view, she reached out to brush away the—

Her eyes widened when a hand took hold of her wrist—Her world was spinning, and before she knew it her back slammed against the firm but comfortable mattress, and she expelled a grunt in surprise.

She looked up, and her blue orbs connecting with his dark grey. His hand grasped her wrist tightly, the other placed beside her head as he pinned her to his bed, looming over her with his cold indifference.

"I wasn't sleeping." She felt his hold tighten as his expression changed to that of annoyance.

Yet all she did was smirk. "I know." She wiggled beneath him, feeling the soft texture of his robe brushing across her bare legs. "You had trouble sleeping last night?" She reached out with her other hand, cautiously trailing her fingers up his exposed chest, thanks to his yukata—He reached up with his free hand, grasping her wrist, and like the other, pinned it down beside her head, onto the bed, stopping her movements. "Is it because of Rukia?"

This time her words caused a reaction in him and his eyes widened ever so slightly. "He told you." By 'he' she knew that he was referring to Ukitake.

"I knew it would be upsetting you so I came to talk—"

He bent down close to her, his lips just a breath away from her own. "I'm **not **upset."

A small smile tugged on her lips. "Right." She tried to pull from his grasp, but he tightened his hold and she huffed in annoyance. "You just can't sleep because you are dreaming of me every night."

"Why have you come here, _Miko_?" His breath was hot, but his stare was even hotter, as he glared dangerously at her, demanding answers.

She rubbed her nose against his, smirking. "I told you." Her voice was low, as her mouth brushed against his as she spoke, teasing him. "I was worried about you."

"You don't know me." Yet her actions had no effect on him, in fact, his eyes hardened towards her. "You have no reason to care." He gave a small growl in objection. "Don't come near me again, or next time, I **will** kill you." He threatened, tightening his hold on her to the point where she gave a small hiss, flinching. "Now… **leave**."

"I would but…" She smirked as she raised her leg, slipping under his yukata. She purred when her skin touched his inner thigh, and his eyes narrowed at her. "You are on top of me." She hummed in amusement. "I can't move." Yet as she said this, her leg continued to slide against his thigh teasingly, enjoying the feel of his tone muscles flexing in reaction to her touch.

She was left laying here in a daze when he suddenly disappeared, his warmth and weight vanishing with him. She glanced around, spotting him standing several feet away, his back to her. "Leave." He repeated. She slowly sat up, staring at him with a small pout. "Now." He commanded again, as he looked at her over his shoulders with a heated glare.

She sighed, and shook her head, shrugging. "Just when it was getting interesting…" But she obeyed his wishes none the less.

Even though she left him, she could tell that he was feeling better. Even though he wouldn't admit it, she helped him out of his depression, over his sister's execution, for a few minutes at least.

Speaking of Rukia… There is certain matter she has to deal with. A matter that she needs to _purify_.

* * *

><p>A small tune was echoing through the air as Kagome was walking down the wooden path, wearing the Shinigami disguise that Ukitake gave her.<p>

'Dun- Nana-Na-La-La-La-La'

She hummed along with the box, as a smile was on her face, watching the box held within her hand, as she turned the handle with the other.

'Nana….Nana….'

Something caught her attention and she slowed down the speed greatly, yet she continued walking, pretending like she didn't notice. Her smile lowering into a small frown. Ahead of her were two Shinigami, one of them wearing a white captain's robe, walking towards her, yet she paid no attention to them, ignoring their presence.

'Nana….Na'

As she approached, she could sense the great evil aura suffocating her, and her expression hardened. The closer they got, the stronger the energy was choking her and she tried to contain her powers, before they backlashed and attacked them subconsciously.

'Dun…Nana-… Na-La…La…La-'

When they passed her—

The image of long wavy black hair floated by her, and she completely stopped moving, and halted the jack-in-the-box as well. His aura is so similar to **his**, it was rather unsettling.

They too stopped as the tension in the air rose, while complete silence hovered around them. They continued to stand there for several moments, their backs to each other.

"You may try to hide it…" Kagome's eyes narrowed as she glanced at them over her shoulder. The image of his long wavy locks falling behind him was replaced with short brown hair. "But I can practically _hear_ your evil thoughts from the other side of Seireitei." Which was true.

The whole time she was in this world, in the back of her mind she could sense something off in the distance. Up till now she didn't pay any attention to it, because she didn't know where it was coming from—but now she does. If he was the rank of a captain, then that means he was up to something… and it wasn't good.

She watched for his reaction, yet all she received was an amused chuckle, which reminded her so much of _**him**_. "I assure you… I have no idea what you are referring to." He too, glanced behind his shoulders, giving her a smile which held a deep darkness to it.

"If I see you again..." Her eyes pulsed with her power, showing her threat was real. "I will kill you." Right now, she was busy and didn't have time for the problems and evil of this world. She had to find a way home—

Killing one of their captains, even though it was justified in her opinion, would just put her on the Shinigami's bad side. Purifying anything that even remotely resembled that evil half-breed in _**any**_ way was completely reasonable in her opinion, but biting the hand that feeds you is not a good way to make allies.

The girl that stood beside him looked as if she was about to say something, but the man just chuckled, raising his hand up to silence her. "_**If**_." He repeated that one single word, hinting at something dark and evil beneath it as his eyes shone with a devious intent.

Kagome looked back down at her hands-

'La.'

"And-"

**POP!**

A smile appeared on her face, watching the joker bounce back and forth with the grin plastered on his face. "**Down**-goes-the-de-mon~."

The male was watching her closely, but he just hummed at her odd actions. "Come, Hinamori." He motioned for the girl to follow him, and he continued on his stroll down the walkway.

"Yes, Captain Aizen." The girl trailed behind him like a lost puppy.

_Aizen_… uh?

"You better prey that you don't see me again…" She glanced back over her shoulder, his long wavy hair flowing behind him like a cloak of darkness. Her eyes narrowed. "I would hate to have to defeat you a second time… _Naraku_."

* * *

><p>As Kagome was walking down the hallway, something smacked into her and she grunted. "Oh!" The person exclaimed. "Excuse me." The boy was laughing in nervousness, scratching the back of his head.<p>

"No problem."

"I can't believe I forgot the napkins..." He muttered to himself, as he dashed passed her as if he had something important to do. Putting the strange boy behind her, she continued on her way towards her destination just a few feet ahead of her.

After she entered the room, it wasn't hard to find the cell, for it was directly in front of the opening. She walked up to the bars, and reached out, tugging on them—She almost laughed when they slid open.

Must have left them unlocked—She paused, remember the boy from a few moments ago. He is probably her caretaker… Either he was very trusting in her, and believed she wouldn't escape while he left his post, or he was just _**that **_absent minded. Either way, this only makes things that much easier on her.

Wasting no time, she opened the door and walked inside of the cell, deciding to finish this before the boy returned.

"Who's there?" Rukia looked over her shoulder from her chair. She had a true look of surprise when she spotted her standing behind her.

"Hello Rukia…" She walked around her sitting form, so that she was standing in front of her. She looked down, seeing the tray of food in the small girls hands.

"Kagome... Higurashi, correct?" The girl recognized her, which was surprising considering when they met the only thing she said to her was hello. "Why are you here?"

Kagome just smirked at her, before she crouched down in front of her, and Rukia followed her every movement with caution. "I have come to free you."

The girl looked away from her with a pout. "Don't joke, it's not funny."

"I don't joke about serious matters." Hearing her words, she looked back towards her.

"I'm not leaving here." Her words caused a smile to appear on her face.

"You misunderstand me." She told her. She felt her aura spike as she stared at her. "There is a darkness within you..." Reaching out, she placed her finger into the center of her chest, a sly smirk placed across her features as she purred. "It is calling to me." She leaned closer to her, placing her lips close to her ear as she whispered. "It is telling me to _**kill**_ you."

* * *

><p>Hearing the door open to the room, Kagome paused in her reading and glanced up. She smiled, seeing Jushiro standing there.<p>

"How did the meeting go—" She flinched when she got her answer as the door was shut with a loud slam. "That bad?"

"Central 46 will not listen to reason. They demand that she be punished for her crimes and be put to death." He had a worried look on his face as he paced back and forth in his room. "It doesn't look good—"

There was a loud crash, and both Kagome and Jushiro called out when the ground beneath them began to shudder. "An earthquake-?" She inhaled a sharp breath when her senses were screaming at her, shocking her with the sudden burst of energy, and a familiar cold glare flashed in her mind.

Sesshomaru!

She snapped her head in the direction of the sudden spike in energy, but then she frowned when the aura disappeared just as quickly as it showed itself. She looked down at the ground in regret and she shook her head. She must have been imagining it…

She paused when there was a loud but dull bang, followed by another, then another.

"What is that?" She looked over at Ukitake for answers.

"We have to go." He turned and walked out of the room, and Kagome followed him. "It's the alarm."

"Alarm?" It didn't sound like the same one she heard when she snuck inside Seireitei.

"Ryoka have infiltrated soul society." He told her. "They must have landed somewhere in Rukongai, but I'm sure there will be another urgent meeting to try and settle the matter as soon as possible before they do any damage." Didn't he just come from the court room, now he has to go back? She shook her head and sighed.

"Ryoka?" She repeated.

What is a Ryoka?

* * *

><p>YAY! 30 pages  13K words! XD I feel proud of myself. And you know what? I kinda feel sorry for poor Renji... but then again... *Evil laughs* His scenes are probably the funniest parts in this chapter- and Ichigo- the poor sod- He is in for a long and painful punishment as well. *Maniacal laugh*

Before some of you might be wondering: Aizen is _**not**_Naraku's incarnation, or has anything to do with him. Kagome just pictures him as Naraku, because his evilness is so bad, that it reminds her so much of Naraku. (kinda like how Byakuya reminds her of Sesshomaru) So no weird 'Naraku shape shifting into Aizen' or any other crazy ideas going on. She just pictures him as Naraku, because they are so much alike, evil wise. She even goes as far as to call him Naraku.

I wanted to let you guys know that I have made a new poll on which story I should update next! So check it out and vote! (Spirit's revenge is one of the choices) Also, I have all my stories posted on my profile, with stats and updates rating from low to high, and how close I am to the next chapter, between 0-99 percent completion.

I will be updating my 'story' section of my profile every Thursday night/Friday night. So keep an eye out for it if you have a specific story you are keeping track of. It will give you hints on how close I am to complete the next chapter, or if I have lost interest in a certain story—So you could send a PM to me telling me to get on the ball with it if you want to try and push me into writing. God knows I sometimes need a good push to get off my lazy butt to get inspired enough to write.

But that's it for this week guys! Hope to come out with a new chapter soon… if I'm not busy updating one of my other stories! *Cough* **Land Of Broken Hearts** *Cough*


	6. Somethin' Strange In Your Neighborhood

I wanted to let you all know, that I have changed my mind, and decided to have Kagome paired with everyone on bleach. Not on this particular story, but I have a one-shot collection story, which hasn't had a bleach X over chapter/chapters yet.

I will base Kagome's character and the story plot off of this story, but have her end up with a different man in each chapter. So if you wanted her with Byakuya? Congratulations! Check my one-shot collection, it will be there!

I will leave it to you guys to make the list of all the hot guys you want her to be with! Anyone! Your choice. Espada? I'll do it. Ichigo/Hollow? It's already going to happen anyway~ lol

I figured, even though I chose Ukitake/Kagome with heavy Harem/Kagome. Why not have Kagome/Harem anyway!? I have a one-shot collection, I might as well put it to good use!

Remember to add your choice to your reviews!

_**Story**_

_Kagome was sitting on top of her grave, her knees tucked to her chest as her chin rested on her kneecaps. A dull look was in her eyes as she stared blankly ahead, trying to either let her mind go completely blank, or think about something positive to keep the darkness at bay. _

_She couldn't move from this spot, for it was the only safety she had away from the darkness and despair. The loneliness was still eating away at her slowly, but for now, she didn't feel the taste of hunger. If she could cry, she would be sitting in her own tears at this point… _

_The solitude was driving her insane, and if she tried to leave to be with her friends—She was afraid that the darkness would return, and she would end up killing her own friends. The fear froze her so that she didn't even dare make a single move, not even to twitch her fingers. _

_But try as she might, the threat of the emptiness was still there, creeping it way up, slowly consuming her—_

_She heard soft footfalls, and she glanced over towards the sound. She saw someone approaching in the distance and her heart sank. Oh no. She hated it when someone came to see her. Every time they came to the grave, the whispers of darkness would become stronger, and she had to fight it off, while making sure not to move from her spot, for fear of killing them. It was the worst when Shippo or Inuyasha visited…_

_As the sound became louder, and the figure in the distance closed in, her eyes widened in pure shock, finally able to see who it was. "Lord Sesshomaru…?" The words slipped from her ghostly pale lips as she continued to stare at him in surprise. _

_He approached her grave in silence, and then stood directly in front of her, looking down at her—Well not at__** her**__, at her grave, really. She just happened to be sitting on it. His appearance and powerful aura drove away the darkness, and she sighed in relief, able to get some peace, even for a moment. _

_She gave a small huff in disbelieve. "I never would have guessed in a million years I would see you here." She looked down at the ground with a sigh. She knew she was just talking to the air, but she spoke anyway, pretending that she was talking to him actually gave her comfort, in a pitiful sort of way. _

_As she sat there, staring at him, she took in his form, standing there in all of his glory. He stood in front of her grave with his usual cold expression of nothingness. He wore his usual battle armor, and his demonic aura floated around him, enhancing his beauty. _

"_This Sesshomaru has come here to pay his respects…" _

_She stared into his amber irises, and she could swear he was staring directly into her own blue ones. But she quickly denied it, there was no way he could see her. "I appreciate the company." Her and Sesshomaru weren't friends, but they were no longer enemies either. He trained her how to fight, for the final battle—She almost snorted. Look at what good that did her. "Thank you." She smiled up at him. "I was getting lonely." _

_Sesshomaru just continued to stand before her grave, staring at it. He was like all the others who came to see her. They would all just look at her grave, deep in thought, while she just talked with herself. _

"_Do you get lonely sometimes?" She started rocking back and forth. "Probably not." She shook her head. "You have Rin and Jaken to talk to." As she was rocking, Kagome noticed that the demon lords eyes were moving strangely. They would go up, then down, almost as if he was keeping eye contact with her—She shook her head and laughed at the mere thought of it. There was no way—Could it? Nah. She waved away the idea, but then the thought of hope filled her. Maybe? _

_To prove it, she stood up, making sure to keep her eyes trained on his ember orbs—Her eyes widened as she slowly stood up, and when she did, his orbs slowly followed her movements as he continued to stare into her blue irises. _

_She stood before him with her mouth wide open in shock. "You can see me!?" She waved her hand in front of his face, yet he just stood there unfazed-. _

"_Remove your hand from my presence, least I remove it for you with my blade." _

_His words caused her to release a gasp of surprise and she took a step back. "You can see me!" She gave a small jump for joy, a bright smile on her face. _

"_Why are you here, Miko?" He asked. "You don't belong here." His words stabbed her like cold steel piercing her chest. "Hurry and pass on to the next world."_

"_I-I can't." She looked down sadly. "I don't know how." _

"_You are useless, even as a spirit." _

"_Gee." She huffed in disappointment. "Thanks." _

_There was several moments of silence, and Sesshomaru looked as if he was thinking about something- "Come with me." He commanded, and turned, walking away from her grave. _

_Her throat became dry as she watched his back, and she reached out, as if to catch him. "W-wait!" She finally called out to him once she was able to find her voice. _

_He did not head to her plea, and kept walking. She looked down at the ground, her feet at the edge of the dirt that was her grave, and then she glanced back up. She reached up, clinching the chain hanging from her chest in worry. She knew if she left, the darkness would surround her again-She felt her chest ache as his body began to become smaller and smaller in the distance._

_But Sesshomaru has been the only one able to see her—To talk to her…_

_She took a deep breath, gathering her courage—She stepped forward—She paused and looked around, expecting something to happen, but when the voice was not present in her mind, relief washed over her and a bright smile appeared on her face as she jogged to catch up to the demon lord._

_She will never forget the day Sesshomaru appeared, and freed her of her loneliness…_

Kagome trip down memory lane was put on hold when Jushiro spoke up. "Over here." He took a turn to the left, and she followed close behind him.

They were not far from his estate, walking towards the center of Seireitei, the alarm still pounding through the air. Ryoka had just invaded Soul Society, which Kagome learned a few minutes ago what the word Ryoka meant: An enemy of soul society. Technically she was a Ryoka after she snuck into Seireitei, but who cares about that small detail? That was so long ago—There's new Ryoka running around now… No one bothers to remember her anymore, which is why she stopped wearing her Shinigami disguise, even though she was running around in the open.

She has learned a lot here, now that she thought about it. Just the other day she learned that those masked creatures that kept attacking her and Sesshomaru are called hollows-

Jushiro suddenly stopped in his tracks, and she paused—"Stay behind me, Kagome." He got in front of her protectively, and placed his hand onto his sword's hilt in warning.

"What's wrong—" Her eyes widened when a pulse hit her hard like a punch in the gut. Her heartbeat tripled, and she felt her chest constrict as her mouth became dry. It couldn't be…

She reached out, and placed her hand onto Jushiro's arm. He glanced at her over his shoulder, the movement was just slight enough so that she could see past him—Her eyes instantly began to water, blurring her vision. Before she knew it, her feet were moving on their own, as his name whispered from her lips.

"Sesshomaru." She closed the distance in an instant, wrapping her arms around his neck as tears were falling from her eyes.

The demon lord stood there for a moment, allowing her to hug him. His expression softened, and he raised his hand, placing it onto her back and returning the embrace. "Kagome…"

**That** was Sesshomaru? Ukitake couldn't help but question it, as his hand unconsciously tightened around the hilt of his blade. The man that Kagome loved so dearly beyond words, who she wished more than anything to go back home and be reunited with was… him?

Ukitake took in the man's appearance: Long white hair, similar to his own, yet longer in length. Golden iris, pointed ears, and several markings on his face and hands. He wore a white kimono with crimson designs around it, and battle armor with spikes across his left shoulder. On his adjacent shoulder hung a large boa, and resting upon his left hip were two swords. The man looked beautiful yet deadly at the same time.

This man, was far from what Ukitake pictured him as being. He wasn't sure why, but something seemed off about him. He wasn't a soul, but he didn't look like a normal human either. Who was this man?

"Look at you." Kagome smiled up at him as she placed her hand onto his armor. "You got your old gear back on and everything."

"One does not go into battle without wearing the proper attire." He pulled away from her. "Come." He turned. "We shall go home." Kagome didn't even hesitate, and followed him without question.

Ukitake wished to call out to her, but he found himself unable to voice his objection. She was free to do as she wished, and if she wanted to leave him and be with that man back in the mortal realm, he couldn't stop her- She paused and looked over her shoulder, making eye contact with him. His heart skipped a beat just for an instant, the reaction causing him slight pain. Even if it hurt to let her go…

Kagome looked back up at her companion. "Wait a minute…" She suddenly disappeared—

"Ompfh!" Ukitake gave a small grunt when something slammed into him. He took a step back to steady himself and he shifted from the sudden off-balance. "K-Kagome?" He blinked down at her in surprise, as she had her arms wrapped around his neck, squeezing him tightly.

"Thanks for everything Jushiro. I'll miss you."

Hearing her words, he felt his heart ache, and he wrapped his arms around her. "Kagome I—" He paused when he felt her lips upon his throat, instantly stopping his voice from forming words. "Nnh-!." He flinched when he felt her suckling the sensitive skin on his neck. He released a shaky breath, taken off guard from her sudden attack, and he couldn't control himself when a moan fell from his trembling lips.

It wasn't until she pulled her lips away from his marked flesh, that he slowly opened his glazed-over eyes, unsure of when he closed them. "To remember me by." She whispered against his assaulted neck, making him shiver from the her hot breath brushing across his now tender skin.

She vanished from his hold, and he blinked down at his empty arms, before glancing up, seeing her standing next to Sesshomaru once more. She nodded towards the Ryoka, and he nodded back—In a blink of an eye, they were gone, leaving Ukitake standing alone.

"…" Reaching up, he placed his hand to his neck. He gently touched the bruised skin with his finger tip, his eyes downcast. "Kagome." He could still feel her soft lips kissing his skin, and a splash of pink colored his usually pale cheeks.

"_Thanks for everything Jushiro. I'll miss you." _

"I'll miss you too."

* * *

><p>"What are we going to do now?" Ichigo was standing in the chief's hut, his arms crossed over his chest with a look of annoyance on his face. "And where is Sesshomaru?" That dog vanished the moment they crash landed into Soul Society.<p>

He reached up and placed his hand onto his neck, his scar burning with pain. He was close by though, his scar was acting up again.

"Remember Kurosaki, Lord Sesshomaru had his own reason for being here." Uryu adjusted his glasses with a sigh. "If I'm not mistaken, that is technically _**your**_ fault."

"Shut up." The orange haired male growled at him.

"We should forget about him for now and think about our next plan." Yoruichi purred from his low position on the ground. "How are we going to get into Seireitei—" The cat paused, his ears twitching and he looked over towards the doorway. The other two men in the room glanced at the cat, before they too looked over at the door.

Ichigo's eyes widened in surprise. "You—"

The substitute Shinigami's words were cut off, his head now lodged in the top of the hut's ceiling, his body dangling from the neck down limply. Kagome was standing in the spot where he once stood, her leg placed vertically in the air, with her hands still in her pockets and a look of hatred in her eyes.

Everyone else stood there, shocked, while the dust was still settling from hole Kagome just made in the roof with Ichigo's watermelon sized noggin. After a few moments, she slowly lowered her leg—Ichigo wiggled, placing his hands onto the roof as he tried to pull his head free, his legs kicking and squirming. Kagome stepped away, so she wouldn't be kicked from his thrashing. There was a loud grunt, followed by a gasp when he finally freed himself from the ceiling and landed onto the floor.

He wiped his mouth with the back of his sleeve and glared towards her. "What the hell-" Another foot came flying towards his face in a deadly roundhouse kick. He had no time to react, and the powerful blow sent him flying across the room and out of the open doorway.

Sesshomaru watched as a black blur zoomed pass him as he stood by the doorway, before it slammed into the stone wall that made of the barrier for Seireitei. The blur was soon followed by another, and when Ichigo's back slammed into the stone, Kagome's knee connected into the male's abdomen. The attack sent a ripple of power, going through his body and impacted the stone behind him, creating a huge creator, spreading outwards from his body like a web. A gush of blood expelled from the man's lips, the strong blow doing internal damage. She placed her hand onto his shoulder grasping a fist full of his robe, about to attack him again, but she paused when she saw the dullness in his brown orbs and she huffed in disappointment.

"Already?" She took a step back, and with her hand still holding a strong grasp of his robe, she pulling his deadweight body from the wall. She carelessly tossed him away from her with a growl. "Unconscious…" His unmoving body landed with a sickening thud. "I thought you would have trained him better than that." Two hits wasn't even a warm up to what she dreamed of doing to him—

"He is too weak, and my time was limited." Sesshomaru glanced from Ichigo's fallen form then back up to her. "Or would you rather have waited several more years before I retrieved you?"

"Would have been worth the wait if he lasted long enough to take my punishment for him." She took a deep breath and sighed. "But I guess this will be enough for now." She walked forward, making sure to step onto the man's fallen body as she walked back over to the hut.

"You must be Higurashi." A boy about the same age as the stupid one on the ground walked out of the hut, an amused smirk on his face when he saw the boy unconscious, before he adjusted his glasses. "Nice to finally meet you."

"You a friend of his?" She motioned behind her, to the lump lying on the ground.

He just huffed. "I'm a Quincy." He stated as if that was the answer to everything. He must have seen her questionable look, for he sighed. "Shinigami and Quincy are enemies." He took his glasses off and began wiping them with a small cloth he kept with him. "Right now I have decided to join forces with him and we are neutral with one another."

"You got together to come get me?" Why would he care about her?

The boy shook his head as he placed his glasses back on. "We have ulterior motives for coming to Soul Society."

'Ulterior motives' Is just a fancy way of saying: "We have a problem and we need your help with it." Great, that means she will have to wait a while before she can go home…

* * *

><p>"You two—" A small growl came from the cat by her feet and Kagome sighed. "You <strong>three <strong>are the only ones who came with Sesshomaru?"

"We had others who wanted to come but—" The male with glasses who introduced himself earlier to her as Uryu, spoke up as he glanced at the demon lord. "The others did not past Lord Sesshomaru's test." Test? That sounds like him. "He said that they were too weak to come and would just slow him down."

If Sesshomaru said it, then it was more than likely true. Then again, not many can keep up with the demon lord of the west. "So Carrot-top wants to save Rukia?"

"You know her?" This surprised the boy a little.

"I have met her a few times in her cell."

Her comment immediately caught his interest. "You know where she is?"

"She is in Seireitei, in the central—whatever it's called. It's in the center of the whole place, and it looks like a giant mountain, you can't miss it."

The cat decided in that moment to speak. "That only leaves us the options on how to actually get into Seireitei. Kagome, Lord Sesshomaru, how did you—"

"Well, I'll leave the breaking and entering stuff up to you guys, I have somewhere I need to be." She waved to them over her shoulder as she began walking out of the room. "Come and get me when you guys are done playing Hero and decide to go home."

"W-wait!" The cat called out to her, but she ignored him.

Sesshomaru soon followed behind her. "If you die, don't expect me to revive you."

And with those last words of encouragement, Kagome and Sesshomaru left the two and a half man team to defend for themselves and save Rukia's life on their own.

* * *

><p>Kagome looked down at the large giant lying before her. A small frown was on her face as she inspected the gaping wound on his arm. Who did this? She glanced at Sesshomaru, but he kept his back to the sight. So it wasn't him—Was it Carrot-top? Kagome shook her head, denying the idea.<p>

She has never spoken much to the stupid boy, but she knew he wasn't bad. Feeling pity for the weak giant, she reached out and paced her hand onto his arm. She closed her eyes, and began feeding him her healing powers.

Within minutes, the wound was healed, but it would take several hours before the sleeping giant would awake.

* * *

><p>Kagome was walking through the dirt streets of Rukongai. They were not very far away from Seireitei, so the buildings and people were civilized, compared to the higher numbered districts. She read about many of soul society's laws and regulations, mostly skimming through it and what didn't interest her she skipped.<p>

She glanced over at the regal lord walking beside her. "I'm surprised he is still alive."

"He would have been no use to me dead." The lord told her. "I didn't know where he took you, and after he told me… I was about to kill him, but he spoke that he knew of a way into this world, so I spared him."

"Only to put him through your training to come here?" She laughed. "That is not being merciful." She knew just how brutish and murderous that demon could be with his training from firsthand experience. "You were torturing him."

"Torturer is below me." He stated. Well, he is more of the 'kill you without question' type.

"But tossing someone into a group of demons, defenseless and untrained isn't?" She rolled her eyes at his logic.

"You were unarmed, not defenseless." He corrected her. "And you survived the attack, did you not?"

"My powers exploded!" She turned to him with a growl. "I turned everything to ash."

"See?" The corner of his lips turned upwards ever so slightly in amusement. "Not defenseless."

She sighed. She could only guess what that boy had to go through. Well, at least there were no more demons on Earth anymore for the boy to be mauled by—She paused and glanced at the man walking beside her. Other than this one, anyway.

Her eyes softened a little towards the demon. "Did you miss me?"

"Miss your constant pestering and nagging in my ears day-in and day-out?" Sesshomaru retorted. "No." She huffed in objection. She did not pester him… Not every day anyway— She paused when she felt his clawed hand resting onto her head in reassurance. She looked up at him questionably. "I would have opened the gates of hell if that is what it took to have you back."

She felt her body become lighter with his kind words, and she reached up, removing his hand from her head. She placed his open palm to her lips, laying a soft kiss upon it with a smile. "I missed you too." She could feel the tears start to fall, happy that they were together again.

"But you are a nuisance sometimes." He just thought he would point out that he wasn't lying to her earlier.

She rolled her eyes at him, yet her heart was still beating loudly, spreading warmth throughout her body and making her feel happy. She felt her senses spike and she turned to the hut that caught her attention.

"This is it." She reached out and knocked on the wall, next to the doorway.

There were several moments of silence, before Kagome heard a small reply. "Hold on, I'll be right there." A smile appeared on her face at the familiar voice, and her smile grew when the flap over the door was pushed away with a delicate hand. "Can I help—!" The woman's eyes widened in sheer surprise and she placed her hands over her mouth in a gasp, the cloth which was being held back, thanks to her shocked reaction, fell back into place and Kagome laughed a little.

"Who is it?" A male voice spoke up, than she heard more footsteps, before the flap was once again moved. "What could possibly have you so spooked, my dear-?" He turned his head and they made eye contact. The man instantly stilled, his violet orbs widening in disbelief.

Her smile grew, almost touching her eyes as they danced in amusement. "Hello, Miroku."

"L-Lady Kagome!" He then looked over towards her companion and he bowed his head in respect. "Lord Sesshomaru." He moved aside and motioned for them to enter. "Please, come in."

* * *

><p>"You haven't aged a day since you died." Kagome was smiling as she took a sip of her tea, staring at her old friends sitting across from her on the floor. She glanced over at Sesshomaru, who was sitting alone in the corner watching with mild interest.<p>

Miroku smiled towards her and reached out, touching his wife's hand. "Aging is slowed greatly when you are already dead." His smile gave away the crow's feet around his eyes, and his once black hair now resembled salt and pepper in contrast. Sango on the other hand held her beauty more gracefully, only a few strands of grey placed along her long hair gave any indication of her age.

They were near their high 40's when they died. Not as old as Kaede, but they lived rather long, compared to everyone else in that violent time period. Not only that, but from what she read, they were lucky to have found each other once they were sent to soul society. She paused for a moment and glanced at them—

"I am happy to see that you were sent to this realm, instead of killed by a hollow." Knowing that they just passed on, eased her mind.

"Yes, the Shinigami who helped us was nice enough to let us stay together." Sango looked over at Miroku and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

Kagome glanced over at the pot that was boiling over the open fire and she hummed. "Why haven't you signed in to become a Shinigami?"

"Our fighting days are behind us now. You should already know this Lady Kagome: The bloodshed died along with Naraku." Miroku sighed. "Though I do admit every now and then I wouldn't mind a little surprise in our routine." He shook his head. "But we are happy here."

Sango placed her other hand on top of their joined hold, and a small smile appeared on her face as her expression softened. "The only thing that would make it perfect, would be if we could meet our kids again." Miroku's eyes turned darker in sadness and he nodded.

Kagome looked down at her cup and sighed, wishing to help them, but she knew it was beyond her powers. She didn't know the special aura her kids made—When she was a ghost, she was unable to sense things and her powers were greatly diluted. Do to this, she wasn't familiar with their energy and she wouldn't be able to track them, like she did with Miroku and Sango, who she knew before she became a spirit.

"I didn't know that demons could be sent to soul society." Sango glanced over at Sesshomaru.

Kagome raised her hand and hummed. "Sesshomaru is very much alive." She told them, which caused them to blink in surprise.

Miroku was looking over towards Sesshomaru as well. "So the Ryoka that appeared this morning was-?"

The raven haired Miko laughed in amusement. "He does like to make flashy entrances."

"Only when they are needed."

Kagome snorted at the Demon lord's comment. Which is all of the time- "Could you tell me about the Shinigami who sent you here?" She decided to change the subject back to her friends.

The retired Monk and Demon slayer then began explain to her about the Shinigami, and what he looked like. They didn't get his name, but they were happy that they got his help in passing on to the next world.

The rest of the night went by in a blur of past adventures and lost conversations she was unable to have while they were separated. She missed them greatly, but Kagome couldn't help that being in their presence brought back yearnings to see her other long lost companions, who she knew she would never see again.

Inuyasha, Shippo... Do you like it there in the demon world?

* * *

><p>"You kiddies might think that wall's the only thing guarding the Court of Pure Souls, but you're wrong." Kukaku said. "That wall is made from a mineral called Bloodthirst Stone that's rare even in Soul Society." She began to explain as she placed a small pebble onto the ground. She pounded her fist into the ground, but when the dust settled, there was a gaping hole surrounding the stone, but the ground beneath of the rock was untouched, resembling a reverse doughnut. "As you can see, it completely blocks spirit power. So opening a hole in the wall with spirit power is impossible."<p>

Ichigo paused, his eyebrows angling together when he looked upon the stone. He thought back to a specific time last night, when a certain raven haired, rage-filled woman attacked him without cause or warning. He placed his hand onto his aching stomach, still feeling her knee pressed against it. When he woke up, the damage done to the wall was immense…

Who or **what** was that woman?

He looked back over at Kukaku who was discussing how they were going to penetrate the barrier surrounding Seireitei. Barrier? Ichigo could feel his inside's flip when he thought about it. How did Kagome and Sesshomaru both get past the shield? Reaching up he touched the scar that wrapped around his neck like a noose.

Who are they really?

* * *

><p>Kagome was smiling to herself as she walked down the streets beside the quiet demon lord. "That was nice." She hummed, glancing towards the sun razing above the horizon. "We should head back to the humans now. They probably already have Rukia and are headed back home."<p>

As Kagome continued walking, she paused, noticing a certain white haired demon no longer keeping step beside her. She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes locking onto his motionless form that stood several steps behind her. She raised an eyebrow at him, giving him a silent question of 'what's wrong?'

Yet the demon just turned on his heels and started walking in the opposite direction. She was about to call to him when he spoke up. "I have something I need to take care of before we depart." She took a step towards him, going to join him—"Alone." His cold tone caused her to pause.

She stared at his retreating back, before a look of understanding appeared on her face and she nodded. "Come find me when you are done." She turned away, a sad look on her face. "Tell her I said 'hey'." With that, she vanished, going on ahead without him.

* * *

><p>Kagome stood on top of one of the roofs of one of the tall buildings inside of Seireitei. A frown was on her face when she didn't sense any of the males (or cat) within the 'holy' area of soul society. Where were they at? They should have gotten Rukia at this point. She was able to penetrate the weak defenses and outsmart the guards within an hour of her awakening into this world—Not only that, but Sesshomaru did so even quicker than she did.<p>

"Don't tell me they haven't even gotten over the fence yet?" She huffed, placing her hands onto her hips— She could hear the pounding of the alarm blaring in the background, and she paused, feeling a large amount of power shooting towards her. "Where is it coming from?" She looked around, trying to find the source of the radiating power, only to freeze in her search—"Above?" She glanced up, and her eyes widened when she saw a huge blue comet heading right for the city.

It suddenly stopped, the ball hitting a powerful barrier, sending off several sparks and lightning in all directions on impact. A barrier? She didn't remember— In that moment a small flashback decided to remind her of the pressure surrounding her when she first jumped over the wall and into Seireitei.

So that was a barrier after all… Well, barriers always have been pretty much useless against her. But how did Sesshomaru get past it- ? Her blue orbs grew in size when suddenly the blue comet burst, sending out several smaller yellow comets in all directions.

One of which was headed right for her. Oh great, just her luck—"Oomph!" She gave a grunt when something heavy slammed into her, sending her down onto the ground—the force then sent her body through the roof of the building, and out the other side, before she hit the stone ground with a powerful crash.

Kagome laid there on her back, her head spinning from the surprise attack. Something heavy weighed upon her chest, and she gave a groan in discomfort—wait a minute, that wasn't her…

She felt the weight upon her body shift. "I'm alive…?" The tone was a mix between surprise and relief.

Slowly she opened her eyes, and when she did, she was looking upon a pair of similar colored orbs staring back at her. What-? Once her vision cleared a little, she recognized the boy that was currently hovering above her body.

"Uryu, the Quincy." Her voice held no emotion as she looked upon his surprise face.

"Higurashi?" He blinked down at her. "Are you a-alright?" He seemed genuinely concerned for her, yet their closeness made him uncomfortable. "You broke my fall—" He froze when she reached out and touched his chest, the other hand stroking his cheek, wiping away a smear of dirt placed upon it.

"Please, call me Kagome." She purred. "After all, we seem to be past strangers at this point…" She reached out, wrapping her arms around his neck. His cheeks took on a cute shade of rose, and she hummed.

"Y-you're not injured?" He decided to remove her hands from around his neck, and she pouted. He sat up, to allow her to get up as well, yet he didn't realize the position he put himself in was now straddling her hips as he sat upon his heels. He was too busy looking around and seeing the large creator they were currently in. "That was a hard fall…"

A sly smirk appeared on her face. "Yes." She began pushing herself up from the ground. "But I have survived worse—" She winced, placing her hand onto her left shoulder.

"You **are** hurt." He was above her do to his higher position, looking down upon her with worry behind his rimmed glasses.

She sat before him, turning her head away while still holding her shoulder. "I'm fine."

"Now is not the time to be brave." He suddenly pulled out a small first aid kit from thin air, and he placed it beside him on the ground, opening it up. "Let me wrap it up." He pulled out a strip of gauze, looking back over at her seriously. "You broke my fall, and probably saved my life. It's my fault you got hurt." He reached out and removed her hand from her sounder. "Let me see."

"If you insist…" She reached up and unbuttoned several notches on her dress shirt, and when she was satisfied, which was about halfway, she pulled the cloth down, exposing her shoulder and also her full chest for him to see. Instantly his face became red as a cherry, and she tried not to laugh. "What's wrong?" She lowered her hand, placing it onto his thigh, and he jumped at the contact.

She was enjoying every minute of the boy's innocent reactions to her harassment. Almost like Renji—She could do this all day… She was fighting the urge to 'accidently' wiggle her hips against him, just to see his face turn red as a tomato, but she didn't want to push the boy too far too quickly.

"N-nothing." He reached out and touched her shoulder, but then paused, his eyebrows angling together. "You're not hurt."

She frowned at his words, and placed her hand over his, moving it so that it was placed between her bosom. "It hurts here…" She looked up at him with innocent eyes. "Can you fix it?"

He sighed. "I'm sorry." He moved his hand away from her chest. "I can't heal that type of pain."

She moved her other hand further up his thigh. "I'm sure if you tried you could."

"No." He placed his hand over hers, stopping her advancement, a serious look on his face. "I can't."

Her face became dead-panned and she huffed. "Are you gay?"

"I'm not gay!" He practically shouted towards her, his voice becoming high-pitched in irritation.

Kagome smirked, deciding not to hold back her intensions anymore. She placed her hands onto his thighs, to hold him in place, and with a simple rhythm motion, grinded her hips against him.

He gave a loud scream in surprise, his face becoming as red as a tomato, just like she imagined, before he completely vanished from on top of her. Kagome saw him leaning on the wall of a building, a few feet away, his hand placed onto his chest as he was taking shaky breaths, sweat covering his face. He looked as if he was having a heart attack.

'Not gay'…_Right…_.

"You sure this is the way!?" Kagome couldn't help but smirk at the shouted question. She glanced over her shoulder, and walking several feet behind her was the white-clad Quincy, keeping as much distance from her as he could.

"Should you be shouting like that? It will give us away." He looked as if he was about to say something, but then she vanished, causing him to pause—Her face appeared dangerously close to his, and he jumped back with a small yelp of surprise, his glasses almost falling off the bridge of his nose. "I won't bite."

He sighed in irritation, and fixed his glasses back onto their rightful place on his nose. "Please don't do that." He dusted off the imaginary dirt on his cloak.

"Walk closer to me, and I promise I won't _attack_ you... for now."

He gave her a questionable glance at her vague sentence, but he obliged and began walking beside her as they continued down the street. "Are you sure that we are headed in the right direction?" From where they were walking on the ground, the high placed walls of the maze made it difficult to see the central tower.

"I have been here for long enough to know my way around, Bashful."

"Bashful?" He repeated the nickname that she decided to give him.

"Yes, but it's rather cute." She gave him a gentle nudge with her elbow.

He gave a nervous cough, and adjusted his glasses once more. "I would like it if you would stop calling me cute."

"Your other friends who wished to come, what were their names?"

The question caught the Quincy off guard, but he answered her. "Chad and Inoue."

"They were too weak to pass Sesshomaru's test?"

"_I have no use for weaklings." _he cold voice echoed in his mind. _"Weaklings slow me down, and I have no sympathy for deadweight." _

"They couldn't beat him." He sighed.

"_If you can land a single hit upon me, I will deem you worthy—" His words were cut short when a blue light flew by him, and a few seconds later, blood started to drip from the thin cut placed upon the demon's cheek. _

"_That means I pass, right?" Uryu stood there, his bow still drawn as he looked at the demon with a hardened look in his eyes. _

_An amused smirk appeared on his lips as the wound began to close before their eyes. _

Ichigo and him were the only ones who could land a single blow to the powerful lord…

She reached over and placed her hand onto his arm, which stopped him from his thoughts. "Over here." She pulled him off to the side, placing his back against the wall, and pressed her body onto his.

"What are you—" Kagome placed her finger onto his lips, pausing his question.

She had her lips close to his, her finger the only thing blocking their contact. "Shhh." Her hand, which was placed onto his chest, could feel his rapidly beating heart against her palm, and she gave him a sly smile when she spotted the blotch of color staining his cheeks.

"If this is another trick to seduce me you—" She rubbed her leg against his inner thigh, and he began to stammer. He placed his hands onto her shoulders, his blush now spreading to his ears. "S-stop it—" He pushed her away—

She gave an irritated groan, before she placed her hands on either side of his face, which caused him to freeze—His eyes widened when he felt her lips slam into his in a forceful kiss, his mind and body immobilized. His hands, which were placed onto her shoulders, slipped off in shock, falling to his side in defeat.

"This way!" A shout was heard down the hallway, snapping the boy from his daze.

He turned his head to the side, and breaking the kiss, just as several black blurs ran past their hiding spot in the shadows. She gently placed her hand onto his cheek, turning his head back, and focusing his attention towards her.

"You—"

She had her lips close to his once again with a pleased grin on her face. "I thought I told you to be quiet?"

His replied in a hushed shout, so as not to be heard. "You didn't have to kiss me to keep me quiet!" His blush was now going down along his neck, his entire face almost red in color.

"But it wouldn't have been half as fun." She teased, wrapping her arms around his neck with a purr. "Do you want to do it again?" She hummed. "You taste like peppermint." She pressed her body closer to his, and she felt him groan against her lips at the contact. "I like it."

She leaned forward, barely touching her lips against his, testing his reaction and calling him to her. When he didn't do anything, neither to push her away, nor to return the gesture, she pressed her lips against his for a second time, with a little more feeling and warmth. She felt his head tilt downward just a little, and that was all she needed, and she entangled his hair within her fingers as her kiss escalated.

His heart was thrashing against his chest so much, she could feel it beating against her own chest which was pushed onto his from their bodies pressing together so firmly. His breathing had become erratic, his baffled orbs behind his glasses were showing signs of his struggle, yet slowly he closed them, unable to resist.

She could feel her head becoming dizzy as a wave of his energy flowed into her body, intoxicating her. It felt like nothing she has ever sense before—Cool to the touch, making her body shiver as she sucked out his strange power from the contact unconsciously.

She snapped out of her daze, when he pulled away from her, and the next thing she knew her body felt weightless as the world was moving in a blur. When the motion stopped, she looked around as he held her securely within his arms, holding her against his chest. He bent down, placing her onto the ground softly on her butt, and watched as he leaned over the edge of the rooftop, looking down below.

She glanced down at what he was looking at, and spotted a brute of a man run by where they were just standing, a small child with pink hair placed onto his shoulders. His looked rather strong, and now that the drunkenness from the exchange in energy was gone, she could sense his power looming and radiating off of him in waves.

She got to her feet, and dusted off her rump. "Thank you."

When her voice called to him, he snapped out of his seriousness, and his cheeks became flushed with blood. "You are lucky I sensed him in time." He reached up and adjusted his glasses, but she could tell his was shaken up. "Do you kiss everyone you meet?"

"Only the ones I find cute." She smirked when she saw his face turned several shades darker and he coughed. He stood up as well, his back to her as he tried to stabilize himself. "I usually ask for permission, but you already gave it to me."

"I did no such thing." He seemed appalled by it as he dusted his outfit off.

"You kissed me back." She teased. If that wasn't permission, she didn't know what was. She walked a few feet away from him and looking around. Hearing him stammer, unable to respond, she smirked. "Does it upset you that much? Then…" She turned back to him, and closed her eyes, placing her hand over her heart. "I promise from this moment on, I will not kiss you unless I ask for your permission first."

"Good…" He seemed rather satisfied by this and turned around to her—"!" She opened her eyes, only to watch him stare at her, his orbs wide in horror. What—

She blinked, finding herself once again held within his arms, a few feet away from where she was standing. She looked over, seeing dust flying around and a creator where she once stood. A large Shinigami with a big blade stood before them.

"You have quite some skill to escape from the rage." The large man began to speak. He then started talking about something with regret and counting to ten. Yet Kagome wasn't paying any attention to that, for her foucs was on the man who had her securely in his arms.

"One…"

Kagome looked up at Uryu, seeing at his face had changed into something more serious, as he stared at the enemy, while still holding her tightly against his chest protectively.

"…Two."

"You saved me?" She pointed out the obvious, yet she wasn't quite sure why he did so. She thought he was mad at her for kissing him.

"Yes." He said in a stern tone.

"Four."

As she looked upon his face, she felt her heart thump against her chest, as his hair turned white and long, and his outfit was no longer white, but red, yet the same intensive look was still in his amber orbs. She shook the memory away, yet her eyes stayed glued to him.

"Seven."

He looked rather handsome in that moment and she felt her cheeks become flushed with desire. "Can I kiss you?"

She saw his serious expression slip as his eyebrows angled together, a small tick of annoyance placed on the side of his head. "No."

She gave a small pout of disappointment at his answer.

"Ten!" The man finally finished counting, and Uryu placed her back down onto her feet.

"He's coming, be careful." After a few words which were more like a buzz of annoyance in Kagome's ears, the man ran at them. His large blade came down between them, and we were forced to jump away, separating. "Come, Shinigami! _**I**_ will fight you." Uryu taunted him.

Yet the brute used a dirty trick, and grabbed a handful of sand, made from turning the stone he just hit into dust, tossing it at the Quincy. The boy flinched, taking off guard, and his footing slipped when he landed, tumbling off of the roof.

Oh no, Bashful!

She had a look of concern for the male, but sighed when she leaned over and saw that he was hanging on the edge, grasping the last shingle. "You are not the one who decides who I will fight." The man huffed, before turning back towards her.

Is this man serious? She stood before him, placing her hands into her pockets in irritation as she glared at the large brute. He really wanted to fight **her**? This man—

He charged her, and she easily dodged out of the way, his attack once again hitting the ground and creating a huge dust cloud.

"Kagome! Run away!" Hearing the boy call her by her first name, caused her to pause, a blush running across her nose. A shadow loomed over her and she snapped back into foucs, side stepping out of the way of his second attack.

At that point Kagome was becoming impatient with the Shinigami. She stood there, staring at the man with a calm expression on her face, her hands still placed inside of her pockets. This death god chose to fight her instead of Uryu for a reason—He picked the girl, the weaker of the two targets to attack first…

Not only was that a bad judgment call, it was an honorless and disgraceful move.

As she watched the man stand before her, his sword raised high in the air to send his final blow, her eyes held distain as she looked upon him. She raised her leg, tapping the top of her boot against the ground, removing the dirt from her foot. That choice will be his downfall…

But just as the attack came down upon her, she paused when a blue light few past in a blur. She blinked when she saw the blood oozing from a wound on the Shinigami's hand, before she glanced over, seeing Uryu standing a good distance away, yet what surprised her the most was the weapon he held in his hand.

A bow? **That** was something she hasn't seen in a long time…

"Oh, this is unusual." The Shinigami spoke up as he looked upon Uryu. "Might you be a Quincy?"

So Quincy was another term for priestess? No wait… that can't be right. He's a male so that would mean he was a priest. She paused. But his powers were not the same as hers… When she kissed him, his energy was different. It had spiritual essence, but it wasn't like hers. He couldn't purify things with his energy, and that means his power wasn't the same… so a Quincy was something different…

The whole time she was thinking to herself, the Shinigami was running his mouth, and she didn't realize that she let her guard drop until the tension in the air changed. She glanced up just in time to see the large man turn towards her, desperation in his eyes as he reached his hand out to capture her-

Suddenly she was looking upon Uryu's back, as he stood before her protectively with his bow held up towards the man. "If you can't beat me, you'll at least kill Kagome. Is that what you thought?" His usually cool blue eyes had a deadly glare in them as he looked upon the man. "Or was she to be your hostage?"

"H-how did you…?" The man seemed to be both confused and utterly terrified that he was able to cross the distance less than a split second, stopping him.

"I do not like tormenting the weak." As he said this, he placed his hand onto his glove. "But I do not mind unmasking cowards." Uryu then pulled back, doing so created a bright blue beam of light where an arrow would have been present. "From the moment you appeared, you were after Kagome, not me, weren't you?" His tone held a hint of anger as he spoke. "A heinous act like attacking a woman by surprise isn't something just anyone can do. If a man had any real pride, he could never do it." He stated, showing that he was a man of honor, and looked down upon such acts. "It's a coward's way of fighting—" Uryu paused when a hand was placed upon his gloved hand. "Kagome-?"

"He wished to fight me, did he not, Bashful?" She smiled towards the boy, happy that he cared for her but—"Then let him fight me." Her eyes held a hit of darkness in them as her smile turned into a smirk. "Or do you actually think that I am **weak**?"

"Ugh-!" Uryu groaned when a powerful spirit pressure suddenly came down upon him, taking his breath away and making his body feel extremely heavy. His eyes grew in surprise when she suddenly vanished, his blue orbs quickly glanced up, above the enemy, and he watched as she slowly floated down, like a feather, and her feet landed onto the man's head-

As if a two ton weight was suddenly dropped on him, the man crumbled onto the ground in a blur of speed, the impact creating a creator. Now that he was gone from beneath her, Kagome continued to fall, and when she landed, this time her boots touched his back— The creator easily quadrupled in size, as if a huge truck fell upon him, and the man couldn't even scream in pain, for it was so server, he was rendered unconscious immediately.

Uryu looked upon the scene in horror, unable to move. He watched as she bent down and placed her hand onto his back. A small glow appeared below her palm, and he witnessed an orb, no bigger than a golf ball start to wiggle and float out of the man's mouth. She smirked at the orb, before she reached out and grasped the object between her pointer and thumb, as if one would a potato chip. When she touched it, the orb began to tremble in her grasp, as if it was afraid, and she slowly lifted it up to her face—

Uryu's eyes grew in disbelief, unsure of what he was seeing, but his stomach started to churn when he saw her opening her mouth widely, before plopping the glowing creature into it. She then swallowed; easily seeing the large lump of white light through her neck, as it slowly went down her throat, before it went to her stomach, no longer visible.

The Quincy wasn't exactly sure what he just witnessed but—He placed his hand over his mouth, feeling nauseous. Kagome glanced over at him, licking her lips in satisfaction with a dark look in her eyes. His body began to tremble in fear subconsciously—

She walked towards him, but then suddenly an arrow was placed between her eyes, his expression serious as he looked at her. "What did you just do to him?"

"I ate a part of his soul." She confessed. His grip on his bow tightened, and she could hear his glove groaning in protest. "I removed and devoured the part of him that was his zanpakuto. "She told him, but when she saw he still didn't back down, she sighed. "He is still alive, but when he wakes up, he will no longer be a Shinigami." She reached out, placing her hand onto his gloved one, and slowly lowered it so that it was no longer pointed at her. "So please, don't look at me like I'm a savage." She could feel a twinge of pain in her chest, when she looked into his blue orbs and seeing the look they were giving back at her. His whole body and expression spoke of one thing: **Monster**.

With a sigh, he bow vanished, and his tense body deflated in acceptance. "You better start explaining."

She smiled at him, happy, and she reached out, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Can I kiss you now?" She teased.

"No!"

* * *

><p>The demon lord of the west was walking down the street, as if everything was normal, ignoring the stares he was getting as he did so. He continued on his stroll, trusting his nose and senses, for they have never been wrong before.<p>

When he was finally at his destination, he paused, seeing his target sitting among a field of flowers, enjoying their beauty. She always did love flowers. He walked up to her, and his shadow loomed over her form. She paused and turned around—Her brown orbs widened in surprise.

"L-Lord Sesshomaru?" The flowers that were in her wrinkled hands fell from her grasp in shock.

His expression softened ever so slightly at the sight. After she died, he never would have imagined he would see her again…

"Hello, Rin."

* * *

><p>"So you are a Miko?" Uryu asked as they walked down the street, towards their distention. That doesn't make sense. "Mikos can't steal souls."<p>

"No, but I can." She stated with a small smile. "My incarnation was a soul stealer, and when she passed, for the **second** time, her reaming soul that kept her moving returned to my body, and along with it came with her powers to manipulate souls." She must have seen the confusion on his face for she laughed. "It's a long story."

"Well." He shrugged. "We have time." He glanced up, seeing that the tower was still pretty far away.

She nodded, agreeing. "If you want to listen, I don't mind explaining." She then began to tell her story of how she was kidnapped, and her soul was stolen by an evil witch, who goal was to bring a dead priestess back to life.

Unbeknown to the duo, there was movement behind the wall—or one should describe it as the wall itself moved.

The wall they just passed revealed its golden irises and Cheshire cat grin from ear to ear. Slowly the form of a man stepped out of his disguise placed onto the wall, the flakes of paint peeling off of him like dirt.

"A Miko, uh?" His smile grew, if possible, and he released a pleased laugh. "Interesting."

* * *

><p>Kagome stood in front of Ukitake's estate building, a soft expression on her face. She didn't know she would be returning here so soon.<p>

"This is not the tower." She could hear the tension and distrust in his tone. "Why are we here?"

Rearing her hand back, gave his shoulders a heavy smack of confidence, causing him to stumble slightly from the force, his glasses falling loose and barely hanging from the tip of his nose. "Don't worry, Bashful, this isn't a trap." She smiled at him. "There is a reason I brought you here..." She began walking forward, and through the open gateway. When she noticed he was not following her she looked over her shoulder questionably at him. "You coming or not?"

After a little hesitation, he sighed and reached up fixing his glasses. "How many times do I have to tell you that my name isn't 'Bashful'?" He grumbled beneath his breath, but followed her into the large estate.

* * *

><p>"Where is it?" Kagome mumbled under her breath as she was looking inside of the closet. "It has to be here somewhere." She tossed several articles of clothing over her shoulder, joining the other useless items scattered across the floor.<p>

Uryu was standing just a few feet away, dodging the object that was flying at him carelessly. "What—" He dodged again. "What are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for—Ah-ha!" She called out in victory as pushed out a large chest, which easily came up to her waist in height. "This!"

Uryu stepped aside as she shoved it all the way till it was in the middle of the floor, the center piece of the mess she created. She grinned, opening up the huge chest, the lid flipping and landing on the other side with a thud. She wasted no time in digging inside of the old but big chest.

The Quincy's cheeks became flushed with color as he watched the small woman lean over the side, trying to reach into the bottom of the chest, but by doing so she was giving him nice view of her rear-end.

He watched her rump wiggle side to side, before he leg was lifted, her other foot on its tippy toes. Uryu shook his head and turned his gaze from the sight. She has to be doing that on purpose…

"Here you go." Hearing her voice, he turned his head, only to pause when something black was held up to his face.

He reached out and grabbed the cloth, before he examined it. "Shinigami uniform?" He looked up at her questionably.

"A disguise." She told him. "I have been wearing one since I've been here." She confessed. "It would be better to blend in, so we can slip past the guards and rescue Rukia." She had a good point. "They are the same as us, only our outfits make us stand out. " She was looking at him up and down. "Especially yours." He looked down at his Quincy uniform and sighed. Even she was making fun of his gear—"That cool outfit of yours makes us easy targets."

His eyes widened a little at her comment. "C-cool?" His cheeks took on a small shade of red. She did just call his outfit cool, right? He wasn't hearing things? No one thinks his Quincy gear is cool—Except for him.

"Yes, cool." She giggled a little at him in amusement. "Now hurry and take off your clothes."

He nodded his head, and reached up, removing his mantle—Wait a minute. He paused. "I should go into another room—" His words were cut short when he looked up, and he could feel the rush of blood invading his cheeks.

Kagome stood before him, her shirt already unbuttoned and opened, raveling her black lacy underwear beneath. He watched as she lowered her hand, and unzipped her pants. Placing her hands onto either side of her waist, she wiggled her hips side to side as her pants started to slide off of her smooth legs.

"H-hold it!" He shouted at her.

She paused, her pants down to her knees, as she was bent over. She blinked at him innocently. "What?"

Unable to turn away from the sight, he placed his hands over his eyes, the only way to stop himself from gapping at the undressed woman like a hormone induced teenager. "W-what are you doing?" Even though he technically was one…

"Getting changed?" As if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Not in front of me!" He tried to calm himself, but he could still feel the heat radiating off of his cheeks.

"Aww." He could hear the laughter in her tone. "Are you being bashful again?" She was making fun of him. "What?" He froze when he felt a touch placed onto his hands. "Haven't you ever seen a naked woman before?"

When he noticed she was lowering his hands, he clamped his eyes shut tightly so he wouldn't see. "I—" He paused when he felt the glasses on his nose shift. "What are you doing…?" His glasses suddenly were taken away from him and he had to fight himself from opening his eyes and taking them back.

"I'm helping you." The playful tone in her voice caused him to swallow the lump in his throat.

Helping him? "H-helping with what?" He knew the answer, but he couldn't stop the question from coming out.

Yet the only answer he received was a giggle from her, making him tense. Her hand touched his chest, and he jumped, which caused her to laugh at him.

"You know…" He heard one of the buttons on his outfit give off a small pop—"I like your glasses." Another pop fell into his ears, and he could feel his blood start to gather back into his cheeks. "They make you look very attractive." Another snap, and he could feel the small breeze of air touching his skin from the opening in his shirt. "But I bet your eyes look stunning with them off." Another pop caused him to jump at the sound, his body becoming numb and goosebumps dotting along his exposed skin. "Won't you open your eyes and let me see?"

Why is she doing these things to him? He couldn't help but ask, as his mind was spinning out of control—He felt her hand go across his bare chest and he released a ragged breath. He reached out, capturing her hands within his, stopping her movements. He felt a little better now that he trapped her hands, but once he felt her hot breath on his neck, he almost melted onto the floor, his legs turning into noodles.

"Can I kiss you?" The words whispered against his ear seductively, and he had to swallow hard, his mouth suddenly becoming dry.

"No." Yet his voice sounded unsure, and he almost cursed inside of his mind at his show of weakness.

"How about this:" Things that start with that sentence never end well—"If you are really uncomfortable about it, how about we both turn around, and undress that way?" She offered.

"Why can't we have separate rooms?" He was proud of his brain in that moment, able to still function in that situation.

He felt her hot breath across his lips, and he froze. "Because you're cute, and I think it's adorable when you blush like this." Her comment caused more heat to rise in his cheeks and he sighed. "If you don't agree, I'm going to continue helping you instead…" She gave him no real options- He felt the fabric of her lacey bra press against his bare chest, and his mind went blank.

He felt as if he was backed into a corner. What other choice did he have? "Alright." He nodded his head, and released her hands.

Once he was fully turned around, he opened his eyes. He paused—"My glasses." He placed his open palm on his shoulder.

"Spoilsport." She huffed, but he smiled when he felt his glasses being placed into his grasp. He wasted no time in returning them to their rightful place onto his nose. He looked down at himself, and blushed, seeing that his outfit was already unbuttoned to his waist. "For a bow user, you have very tone abs." He could hear her playfulness from behind him and he sighed, yet he could still feel the blush on his face, wondering when if it will ever leave.

He reached up and began tugging off his uniform, but he paused. He glanced over his shoulder, to make sure she wasn't watching him, and when he saw her back was to him, he felt relieved, continuing his undressing.

"Are you really a Miko?" He tried to keep up a conversation as he undressed, to help keep his mind off the fact that he was in a room with a woman, and both of them were taking their clothes off.

His question caused an amused laugh to echo in the room. He paused, enjoying the sounds just a little bit. "My actions not 'holy' enough for you?"

"Well, they are supposed to bepure souls." She has been anything but _**pure **_since she has been with him. That woman probably as the most wandering hands and impure thoughts he has ever seen. "Not only that, but the last known Mikos died out over 500 years ago."

"Have you forgotten that I'm not alive?" Her words caused him to pause. That's right—She isn't human. That completely slipped his mind.

He shook his head, denying it. "But that would mean you're—"

She is over 500 years old? He couldn't help but question it. She survived that long as a ghost without getting eaten by a hollow, or better yet, turn into one? How was the possible? Not only that but she didn't look that old; in fact, she looked the same age as him—He was certain no other 500 year old woman had that kind of body…

His face became flushed with blood as his mind easily turned the wrong way as her exposed body suddenly appeared in his mind.

"I have been with Sesshomaru for half a millennium." Her voice interrupted his naughty thoughts and he sighed in relief. "Until your friend sent me here."

"He isn't my friend." He believed it was worth pointing out to her for a second time that he and Kurosaki were not buddies.

The last of his outfit fell off of his body, and he stood in the room in just his boxers. He looked down at himself, suddenly feeling exposed, and he cupped his hands over his valuables. He felt eyes upon him, and his body froze, uncomfortable. He glanced over his shoulder, knowing that she was staring at him. Yet he was surprised when she wasn't, and it was just his imagination-

His eyes widened when he saw her bare back, easily seen since she was now stripped down to just her underwear as well. Placed upon her flesh were scars, and not just one, but many, slashed across her back in a gruesome display of torture. Some were thin, but others were long and painful gashes, all of which have long since been healed over.

Before he knew it, he found himself reaching out, and he placed a cautious touch upon her back—

"!" She immediately jumped in surprise, inhaling a large gasp of air. She turned around to face him, her eyes wide with horror as her hand was placed onto her chest, as if to still her rapidly beating heart. "W-what are you doing?"

"Who did that to you?" His expression was serious as he looked down at her. She looked away from his intense gaze, not wanting to answer him. He has seen those wounds before—"It was Sesshomaru." He stated more than questioned.

"_RAH!" Ichigo screamed out in pain and blood gushed out from his back_.

"_How many times must I tell you? Your back is your greatest blind spot, human." As the demon spoke, Ichigo turned to face him while still holding his sword in his shaking grasp._

_Uryu's eyes widened in horror when he looked upon his back, which was covered in fresh gashes and wounds slashed across every inch of his flesh. The demon was only attacking his unguarded back, and all that was left of that side of his shirt was almost nothing, the edges soaked in his oozing blood._

_The Quincy winced when he heard Ichigo give another cry of pain, and he turned his head away, unable continue watching the slaughter. _

"Before I died, he is the one who trained me how to fight." She reached up and touched her shoulder, a pained look in her eyes. "He was ruthless, and he never was the type to hold back for anyone."

"How could you still care for him when he did such a cruel thing to you?" His anger was shaper then what he meant it to be, but he showed just how upset this made him.

"You don't understand." She shook her head and looked up at him. "Because of his training, I was able to save everyone and…" She reached up, grasping the jewel that hung below her collarbone. "He was the only friend I had after I died." She told him, as her eyes softened as she thought about the past. "If it wasn't for him, I probably would have disappeared long ago in my loneliness. I owe him more than words can describe."

Uryu sighed, his anger deflating at seeing her sad expression. "He really means that much to you?"

"Hmm?" She blinked at him for a moment, before a sly smirk appeared on her face. "Are you jealous?"

"J-jealous?" The word fell from his lips in surprise. It wasn't until he felt her hands onto his chest that his face became blood red as he looked down at her half-naked body. Oh-no!

"You broke the rules, Bashful." She purred, leaning closer to him. "You just couldn't keep your hands off of me after all."

He backed away, his body turning cold in fear. "Why are you even doing this?!" He couldn't help but ask. "You are 500 years older than me!"

"What?" She paused, looking at him with a hurt filled gaze. "You don't like older women?"

His face became flushed once more as he tried to not let his mind wander to dirty things—He felt her nails go down his chest, and he shuddered— But she was making it difficult for him.

He pulled away from her, finding his courage to fight back. He took several steps back to distance himself from her, but she moved forward. He took another step back, and she moved one more step towards him. He moved back and—He wobbled off balance when his legs hit something. He glanced behind him and his eyes widened when he saw a bed- He glanced at her and his breath caught in his throat when she was directly in front of him, a smirk on her face.

She raised her hand, placing it onto his chest, and gave him a small push—His eyes widened, but it was too late, and the next thing he knew his back hit the mattress with a thud. He quickly sat up, but he only got as far as putting weight upon his elbows, before he felt her looming over him.

She was straddling him, her legs on either side of his waist, as she was leaned over his fallen from, a smile on her face. He opened his mouth to speak up in objection, but he was frozen when she wiggled her hips and a shock was sent up his body and all that came out of his mouth was a groan.

He glanced back towards her questionably, his body turning to mush beneath her. She reached out, and removed his glasses once again; causing everything around him to become blurry other than her face, because it was so close to his own.

"I knew it." She was staring directly into his eyes and his cheeks turned crimson. "Your eyes are lovely." She felt her run her fingers through his hair, and he couldn't help but close his eyes in relaxation. He leaned his head back subconsciously, as she hovered over him. Her lips were just a breath away from touching his. "Can I…" He could barely hear her voice over top of his own heart beating into his ears. "Kiss you…?"

Slowly he opened his eyes, their blue color now glazed over. "Y…" The word slipped out uncontrollably, but then he paused. "No." It changed to the right answer, and he sighed in relief.

A small pout appeared on her face, and he gave a grunt in pain when she pushed him harshly onto the bed. "Idiot."

He stared at the ceiling in confusion for a moment, before he sat up—"Umph!" He gave another surprise muffle when something smacked into his face, turning his vision black.

"Hurry up and put your disguise on, we have to go."

He pulled the black cloth from on his face and he looked down at the Shinigami uniform with a sigh. He glanced at her angry form as it huffed around the room, gathering her own outfit and putting it on.

Was it something he said…?

* * *

><p>After his visit to see his old ward, Rin, Sesshomaru was within the capital area once more, looking for Kagome. Like before he jumped over the wall, and entered easily enough, but once he was inside, he was having a hard time picking up the Miko's energy.<p>

She must have lowered her aura. That was good idea when one was in enemy territory and wished to avoid detection, but it was bad when someone was searching for you…

But if he can't sense her out, he had other means.

"_She is in Seireitei, in the central—whatever it's called. It's in the center of the whole place, and it looks like a giant mountain, you can't miss it." _

Sesshomaru glanced up, seeing the structure straight head. All he had to do was walk this large courtyard and pass under that gatehouse on the other side.

"Halt!" Sesshomaru walked forward, but as he did so, he heard a small buzzing sound in the back of his mind. He paid no heed to it and continued. "I am 8th Squad 3rd officer, Enjouji Tatsufusa!" Sesshomaru could hear the humming become more of a nuisance, for the more he walked, the louder it became. As if he was getting closer to it…"You will be stopped here Ryoka—" The man's words were frozen just as Sesshomaru passed him, as if he wasn't even there. The Shinigami's eyes became dull, and he fell over unconscious.

No longer hearing the buzzing sound, Sesshomaru continued on his way—An elephant is incapable of seeing an ant placed upon his path…

"Whew, nice work." This time, Sesshomaru heard a clear voice and he paused. "That is some power you have, my subordinate fainted just being close to you…"

A pink petal floated down in front of his face, and Sesshomaru glanced up- The single petal was soon accompanied by many more, as they all gracefully fell down around the area. Along with the flowers there was a man, drifting in the wind like one of the petals, and he landed in front of him without a sound other than the fluttering of his pink kimono that was resting upon his shoulders like a cape.

"8th Squad Captain, Kyouraku Shunsui." The man introduced himself. "Pleased to meet you." Not particularly what his enemies **normally **say to him…

Then again in the past he wouldn't give them time to speak before he ripped their heads from their bodies. 500 years has given him a little more patience, to say the least…

"8th Squad Captain…" Was that supposed to mean something to him?

"Yup, how d' you do?" The man laughed a little, but then paused when the flower petals increased in numbers and he glanced up, taking his eyes off of the enemy. Not a very wise move. This man must be an imbecile. "Hey! Nanao-chan!" He called up to the woman who was standing on the balcony placed onto the gatehouse. "That's enough flower petals." Yet the flowers did not cease, in fact they probably increased in amount. "Huh? I guess she didn't hear me…" He mumbled to himself. "Hey, Nanao-chan!" He began waving his hand up at her to catch her attention. "Hey! That's enough petals, I said." Yet the woman paid him no attention. "Cute, cute Nanao-Chwan~" He called up to her sweetly. "Lovely, lovely Nanao-Chwa-Ugh." He grunted when all of the petals in the bowl were dumped on him. He popped his head out from the pile of flowers, only to have the straw bowl hit him on the head, knocking his hat off.

Definitely an imbecile…

"I have no time for games." Sesshomaru spoke to him as he stared at the odd man.

The man sighed, placing his hat back onto his head. "Man, everyone is so cold today…" He stood up, dusting off the pedals from his robes. "I'm sorry but I do not wish to fight, but I cannot let you pass—"

Sesshomaru took a step forward, appearing behind the man as he spoke, causing the man's orbs to widen in surprise. "If you do not have the power to stop me, then your words are worthless." With that said he continued walking, already done with this strange man.

"My, oh my." The captains shocked expression returned back to its normal relaxed mood, yet he looked impressed. He then vanished, only to reappear once more in his way. "You are pretty fast. I wasn't expecting that."

Sesshomaru paused, looking at the man with his usual stoic expression. "You are in my way. Move." This time, he was not going to pass him, he was going to make this man get out of his way.

"I'm sorry. I told you that I can't let you pass."

"I do no repeat myself." He told him. He was lucky that he gave him any sort of warning, but now this man was trying his patience.

The man shrugging. "Why can't you just turn back around and go home—" The pink man pulled out his blades just in time to block his clawed hand that was aiming to rip apart his face. "This has become rather serious…" His expression changed, better fitting the mood of battle.

The captain pushed him off, and back into the court yard. When he landed, Sesshomaru called upon his whip, sending it towards the man. He blocked with his blades, but the attack sent him flying and he hit the wall with a crash, dust and derby flying everywhere.

Sesshomaru looked upon the wreckage for a moment, before he continued on his way towards the gatehouse—He pulled back, the duel blades barely missing his face, yet the sharp edge nicked a few strands of his hair.

"It seems that you wish to die..." He called forth his whip once more. "Then I shall grant your wish."

* * *

><p>"They are really soft, aren't they?" She smiled, rubbing the soft fabric of the Shinigami uniform against her cheek.<p>

Uryu looked at his own outfit and hummed in approval. "I must admit, this wasn't such a bad idea—"

"Hey! You two!" A shout came from the side and they paused, looking over. "Who are you? What squad are you from?" The man walked over to them, a suspicious look on his face.

Uryu was taken off guard, and he wasn't sure how to reply, but then a soft hand placed onto his arm caused him to pause. Kagome? She stepped forward, causing the Quincy in disguise to look at her.

"We are from the 13th squad." She replied. "Don't tell me you plan to question us about it, 11th Squad member?" Uryu blinked at her, taken back by how knowledgeable she was. He almost shook his head at his own thoughts. Of course she was, she has been her for a long enough time to learn a few things about Soul Society.

"Actually I am." His words were slurred a little as he walked up to her. "We're are your zanpakutos?" He asked. "Do to the Ryoka we were given orders to carry them at all times now."

"We were giving Captain Ukitake a message." She pointed above her, to the board placed above the gatehouse they were currently still beneath. The sign said 'Ukitake' on it. "Or do you really think we need the aid of our Zanpakutos for that?" She huffed. "Besides, there is no safer place for a 13th member then at Ukitake's estate."

The man looked as if he was about to say something, but then he groaned when a club landed onto his skull, and he fell onto the floor with a thud, unconscious. Uryu stared at the man in confusion before he looked at the four men smiling towards at them. All of them, he noticed, were very good looking.

"Was he causing you trouble?" The men were now surrounding Kagome, one of them holding her hand gently within his as he stared at her with concerned eyes.

"Not really, but thank you." Kagome had a blush on her face, obviously enjoy the attention the males were giving her.

"It's no trouble at all for a lovely lady such as yourself." The men were fawning over her, and she was eating it up.

"Oh my." She reached up, placing her hands onto one of the boy's faces with a pleased look. "You all are so handsome…" She then touched each and every one of the male's chest, purring. "I think I might just faint."

Uryu could feel a small tick of annoyance appearing above his brow as he watched the exchange. He had it in his mind to just turn and walk away from her…

The captain of the 12th Squad was smiling behind the corner. He gave off a maniacal laugh as he raised his hand, a detonator button held within. "Too easy…" He then pressed the button and…

Nothing…

He paused and looked down at the device, pressing it again—Yet he was met with nothing once more. Damn thing— Must be broken! With a growl he threw the useless device away.

"Why don't we take you to our squad building, were we can have a little more fun, hmm?" One of the men suggested heavily and she laughed, blushing.

"You guys are so forward." She playfully smacked him on the chest. "But I like it…" The men then started to escort her away, towards the 12th squad building.

Seeing this, the captain's sour mood once again became bright. "Not what I planned, but it will do…"

But he paused when he saw that even though the woman was being led away, the boy was still standing in the middle of the street.

"I know you are there." The boy didn't speak until the girl was out of sight. "Come out." Uryu turned, to face the enemy who was hiding in the shadows, but he wasn't expecting the odd man that walked out, nor the girl who accompanied him. "What do you want with Kagome?"

"Why, to use her as a research subject of course." He had a pleased look on his face, and his body began to tremble with joy, just thinking about it. "A Miko! I have only read about them, and they haven't been seen for over half a millennium! I never would have thought in a hundred years I would be able to dissect one—"

His words were cut short when a blue light shot past him. When he no longer saw the boy standing there, he looked behind him, spotting the boy with his bow drawn, another arrow already set to fire.

"You will **never** hurt her, if I have anything to do with it."

"Oh, a Quincy?" The man seemed impressed. "A rare-breed." He hummed. "But I have already finished my research on them, I have no interest in you—"

His words were cut off once again by another arrow, he dodged out of the way, but another hit was aimed for his head. Uryu watched as the dust flew around the area from his safe spot on top of the shingles on the wall.

"Not bad." Hearing the crazed man's voice, caused Uryu's eyes to widen slightly and he glanced over, seeing the man a few steps away from him. "The previous move and the one just now… Flying Curtain Legs, no?" Uryu had his bow pointed towards him once more, his eyes narrowing at him. "I didn't expect someone as young as you to have that ability. Good for you."

"Who are you?" He shouted. "What kind of spell did you put on Kagome? Where have those men taken her?!"

"Spell?" This word seemed to amuse the man and he laughed. "You seem to have been mistaken, I have placed no spell on her." He told him. "It seems that she just enjoyed the other men's company over your own…" His words hit Uryu hard, a pain stabbing him in the gut, but he didn't visibly show it. "How sad, your girlfriend left you for better looking companions."

"_I knew it." She was staring directly into his eyes and his cheeks turned crimson. "Your eyes are lovely."_

A growl escaped the usually calm man's lips. "Shut up!" He pulled back the arrow farther, but paused when the girl that was with him suddenly jumped in his way. "Wha-?!" She latched onto him, and they both began tumbling to the ground— His eyes widened when he saw the man jump towards them and before he knew it, both him and the girl was screaming in pain when he felt the familiar sting of a blade slicing through his flesh.

Uryu was so stunned at what just happened, that once his body finally hit the hard stone of the street below, all he could do was stare at the girl in disbelief, as he slowly pushed himself off of the ground, and into a sitting position as the pain was too much for him to handle.

He attacked, even with his ward in the way? What kind of man was he?

"Stupid girl." The man punched her in the face, sending her to the ground after she just stood back up. "I thought I taught you to never let go, even if your arm was severed?"

"M-My deepest apologizes." She spoke from her lowly position on the ground.

That bastard… He really sacrificed his own subordinate just to kill him!

He watched as he helplessly began kicking and beating the woman once she complained about the sword piercing her lungs and she might not be able to function without help. Uryu growled and lifted his arm to attack the man, pushing back the thought of how much it would hurt—His eyes widened when his arm wouldn't obey his command—

"So you finally noticed?" The man laughed. "You can't move, can you?" He held up his oddly shaped blade. "It's my Zanpakutos ability."

"Paralyzing poison?"

"Don't be ridiculous." The man started walking towards him with a grin on his face. "It's nothing so commonplace." He told him, and bent down. "Out of the innumerable signals sent from your brain, it selects only the signals that say 'move the limbs' and severs their pathways." He explained. "It's not paralysis." He then began to demonstrate by stabbing his blade into his wounded arm, and Uryu screamed out in pain from the deep cut that pierced his limb. "See?" He laughed at his reaction as he pulled the blade out of his arm, blood gushing from the wound. "Not the slightest bit of pain is lost."

Uryu could feel his vision becoming blurry and he held back the pain as best he could, but it was rather difficult. He paused, when he looked up, seeing Kagome standing before him, a concerned look was on her face.

"And now I'm hallucinating." Yet the soft touch of her hand against his check meant—

"I'm sorry it took so long, Uryu." Her concern changed to guilt, when she looked at the wound on his arm. "Did he do this to you?"

"Run, Kagome." He was able to voice to her. "This guy is strong."

"My, my." He huffed. "Those men were useless after all, if they couldn't keep you locked up until I was finished here." He shrugged. "I'm more surprised with the fact that after you escaped, you came back here."

"Well, I had to come back." She turned around, and stood in front of the make-up wearing freak. "After all, I wanted to return these back to their owner." She raised her hand, and inside of her palm were four marble sized orange glowing balls.

"Those are-!" His eyes grew in size when he saw them.

"Oh, so their yours?" Her voice had a sweet tone to it, as she smiled at him, her palm glowing pink with power. "Then you should have them back-!" She shoved her palm into his chest, a ripple of power radiating off her hand as it made contact with him, before she casually removed it, the marbles no longer in her hand.

"Ugh-!" He reached up to his chest, yet he felt nothing. "What did you—" Yet his words were halted when Kagome raised her other hand, inside of it was a familiar device that he threw away not too long ago. "That-!"

A sweet sugary smile was placed onto the Miko's face and she waved to him goodbye. "Boom~"

* * *

><p>"Aizen." Ukitake spoke the late Captain's name as a sad look appeared on his face.<p>

"_It must have been the Ryoka!" The comment caused several other members of the council to agree, but Ukitake was left standing there, deep in thought, knowing deep down that couldn't be true._

Kagome, she wouldn't have done such a thing but that man—The image of the white haired male who took her away—His aura and eyes, they were both filled a killing intent, his hands stained with the blood from the countless number of people he has killed.

Could he have done it…?

He wished that it were false, but he couldn't overlook the coincidence of it all either-

Ukitake froze in mid-step, his eyes going wide with concern when he saw a large blast placed very close to his estate. His pace quickened as he ran home as fast as he could. What was that?

* * *

><p>Kagome looked down at the unconscious Quincy, a sad look in her blue orbs. He was shirtless for the moment, his upper body covered in fresh bandages. He was out of danger, but she couldn't help but feel the guilt hitting her hard for the fact that the boy got hurt, and it was mostly her fault.<p>

"_You all are so handsome…" She then touched each and every one of the male's chest, purring. "I think I might just faint." _

She thought back to the moment she nullified the bombs within those men. She could sense there was something off about them, but turning them into walking bombs? That man was evil— She wanted to help remove them, but she had to do so without it causing a scene so she lead them away.

_Kagome sighed, pulling her hand out of the unconscious man's chest, and held within was the last bomb_.

It would have been against her code if she let those men die, when she knew she could have saved them.

"I'm sorry you got hurt." She reached out, and brushed away his hair from his face with a sad look in her eyes. "Not only that, but I let him get away…"

It was faint, but she could still feel the man's energy slither away after the blast. Yet she couldn't go after him, Uryu was hurt and she couldn't let him die. So she tossed his passed out body over her shoulder, and brought him here: To her private room in the Ukitake estate. She cleaned his wounds and bandaged him up, but she didn't want to leave him like this…

"I'm sorry." She leaned over his sleeping form. "You will probably be mad at me…" She leaned down and placed a kiss upon his lips. She could feel her power transferring over to his injured body, and she didn't pull away until she could no longer feel her powers draining into his body to heal him.

She looked down at his still sleeping face and smiled. She glanced over at his hand, seeing the glove on him. It was radiating a strong power, and she reached out. Placing her hands over his gloved one, she placed her powers into it and—It turned to dust in her palm, and she smiled, pleased that she didn't accidently purify Uryu's hand instead.

"Now." She stood up, her mind set. "To go get Rukia so we can all go home." She started walking to the door, but then she paused and glanced at the boy resting in her bed. "I'll get you home soon, so just rest while I'm gone…"

You are late Sesshomaru… Where are you?

* * *

><p>Shunsui was at a standstill with the powerful Ryoka. They matched attack for attack, and blow for blow. He has not called upon his bankai yet, but he also noticed that the enemy had a few tricks he was not using either. He has yet to even pull out any of his swords, all he has been using was his whip and claws.<p>

They stood eye to eye, his blades crossed in front of him, as he blocked another hit from his claws, aiming for his heart. They broke apart, each male sliding a little from the force when they landed several feet away from each other.

"I have had enough." The Ryoka spoke, his whip vanishing from his hand. "I shall end this."

His words caused Shunsui to tense up, and he readied himself for a powerful attack about to come his way— Shunsui eyes widened in shock when he felt the bite of a cold blade pressed against his throat. He was fast—Much faster than what he was before.

His eyes glanced down, and followed the blade till it landed on the marked wrists of the Ryoka, but then Shunsui paused when he saw a small hand placed on top of the Ryoka's hand—The one thing that stopped him from dealing the final blow and probably saved his life.

"Sorry to interrupt but…" The girl sighed towards the Ryoka. "Now is not the time to be playing around, Sesshomaru."

_Playing around? _ The words continued to echo inside of the captain's mind, even after he felt the sharp blade of the sword removed from his throat. Was he really just playing with him? Impossible…

The captain watched as the girl continued to talk to the male. "I know where they have her." The girl turned and started walking away. "It's not very far from here. Come on." The girl suddenly vanished, the 8th captain unable to keep up with her movements.

"Do not command this Sesshomaru." The male spoke up, before he too disappeared from in front of him without a trace.

They are fast…

"Whew." Shunsui took a deep breath and sighed, placing his swords back into their rightful spots, resting on his hip. Reaching up, he placed his hand onto his neck, still feeling the strange power mixed with the cold blade of the sword pressed against his flesh. "That was a close one…"

If that girl hadn't stopped him…

He shook his head, deciding not to dwell on it. "Nanao-Chan~" He waved his hand back and forth in the air while calling to his lieutenant. "Can you make me some tea, Nanao-Chan~?"

Yet he pouted when he heard her irritated shouts towards him. Looks like she was angry with him again…

* * *

><p>When Ukitake arrived at his estate, his orbs were wide with surprise when he saw the chaos. There were craters, debris, and burn rubble everywhere you looked. He watched as several of his staff was scurrying around, trying to help. One of which he saw, was carrying a girl who looked to be injured. He recognized her as the girl who always accompanied Captain Kurotsuchi…<p>

He reached out, and grabbing hold of one of his staff members to catch their attention. "What happened?"

"L-Lord Ukitake." The woman bowed. "While you were away sir, there was battle in front of the estate gatehouse."

"Who was battling?"

"Captain of the 12th squad, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, and a boy."

"A Ryoka?" He asked, and the girl nodded.

"But Lady Kagome—"

"Kagome!" Her name slipped from his lips in surprise, unable to believe his ears. "Kagome was here?"

The girl nodded again. "But there was an explosion right where Lady Kagome was standing." Her words caused a large lump to appear in his throat, and he swallowed hard. She was caught in the attack? Was she alright? The girl then pointed to the side. "I saw her go back into the estate, but I lost sight of her."

That direction was—"Thank you." He bowed his head to the woman in thanks, before headed where the girl pointed to.

If his hunch was correct, which he believed it was, she was heading for the private room that he gave her…

* * *

><p>Kagome was walking with Sesshomaru, down the wooden balcony, going towards their target without much trouble from the Shinigami.<p>

"I felt Carrot-top's energy level spike, then drop dangerously low several hours ago, now I can't read it." Kagome paused when she felt Sesshomaru glance in her direction questionably. "Not that I'm worried about him, it's just that with him out of the picture, and Uryu injured as well, that leaves no one else to save Rukia…"

She didn't expect much from the talking cat, so that left it all up to her and Sesshomaru—Great, she is once again the one that has to save the day, what are the odds?

The demon lord didn't speak, and instead chose to listen to what she had to inform him.

"They moved her from her cell, and into that white tower." She pointed to the white building, easily seen from any area in Seireitei. There was some kind of strange power trying to block her energy, but she could still feel her aura.

Several moments of silence passed, before the Demon finally spoke. "Rin wished for me to relay a message to you." Kagome looked over at him, curious. "She would like you to see her before you leave."

His words caused a small smile to appear on her face as her expression softened. "Of course I will…"

* * *

><p>Captain of the 13th squad Jushiro Ukitake stood at the doorway, unable to move as his orbs were locked onto the body placed onto the bed. Her raven hair was sticking out of the covers, easily visible from the bleach white of the fabric. Her back was to him, but he could still see the bandages that covered most of her upper body that was not covered by the blankets.<p>

He could feel the pain throbbing in his chest, seeing the extent of her injuries, and he reached up, placing his hand over it to try and sooth the pain. He then walked forward, knowing that he couldn't stand in the doorway forever.

As he now stood over the bed, the first thing he noticed was that her once lovely long locks where short, barely reaching the nape of her neck. He frowned a little. It seems that somehow her hair was cut during the battle—was it from the blast? The strands for the moment was falling across her face, blocking it from his view, but he could easily see the bandage that was wrapped down her left arm, the wounded limb placed above the covers as she slept.

A concerned look appeared on his face, and he reached out, softly taking her hand within his. "Kagome…" He whispered her name as guilt hit him hard. If only he was here to protect her, then she wouldn't have gotten hurt.

"_Captain of the 12__th__ Squad, Kurotsuchi Mayuri…" _

The grip on Kagome's hand tightened as he thought back to what his staff member said to him. Captain Kurotsuchi… He will make sure to give him the punishment he deserveds-… His words were put on hold when she groaned and turned, rolling onto her back.

An annoyed look was on _her_ face as _she_ looked at him. Ukitake just continued to stare, his eyes unblinking as confusion and surprise showed on his face.

The room was deadly silent, as they continued to just stare at one another neither one moving or saying a word until…

"You're not Kagome…" The words slipped out of his lips unconsciously.

"Thank god for that." The boy groaned, sitting up slightly and glaring at him questionably. "Who are you?"

"I was just about to ask you the same thing…" If this wasn't Kagome, then where was she? Who was this boy—

"_Captain of the 12__th__ Squad, Kurotsuchi Mayuri, and a boy." _

Was this the Ryoka?

"Hey." The boy called to him, and he looked back towards him. "You can let go of my hand now…" As the boy said this, he jerked his hand out of his grasp; a light shade of red was spread across his cheeks. With his hand now free, he reached over to windowsill that was beside the bed, grabbing a pair of glasses, and placing them onto his face.

"Sorry." He gave him an apologetic smile as he held his hand up in defense towards him.

Yet the boy paid him no attention, for he was too busy touching his wounded body with a surprise look on his face.

"**Captain Ukitake!"** He heard the familiar shouts of his subordinates call for him in concern, and he turned towards the doorway just in time to see them rush into the room. They then fell onto the floor, kneeling before him.

"Captain Ukitake! I am so glad you are unhurt!" The girl spoke.

"I was worried for your safety—" The male added.

"I was more worried sir—"

"No you wasn't, I was more worried." They then began to argue.

Ukitake raised his hands towards his subordinates, a large sweatdrop appearing behind his head. "As you can see I'm fine..."

"Captain…?" The boy was now looking up at him cautiously.

In that moment, he wondered what he should do with this new predicament he was put under. This boy was a Ryoka, and under law should be killed on sight…

He took a deep breath and sighed as the heavy burden of responsibly started to weigh on his shoulders.

"Could you two of you do me a favor, and fetch a nice warm meal for my guest?" He motioned to the boy on the bed behind him. "He is probably hungry…" He glanced at him over his shoulder. "No?"

"Umm." The boy's hostile attitude changed to that of surprise. "Thank you?"

"**Right away sir!"** They were on their feet immediately, saluting him, before they rushed off in a mad dash to carry out his request.

Once they were gone, he turned his attention back towards the boy on the bed. Yet the boy was the first one to speak. "You know Kagome, don't you?"

Ukitake nodded. "Was she the one who brought you here?"

"I think so." He glanced out of the window as a fog of thought clouded his eyes. "I passed out during the explosion, and woke up here." He sighed, placing his hand onto his bandaged arm. "My wounds are gone. Not only did she save my life, but she healed me."

He expression softened towards the boy. "What is your name?"

"Uryu Ishida."

"Ishida." Ukitake walked up to the boy, so that he stood beside him, looking down at him with a serious expression. "Do you know where she is?"

"Kagome?" He sighed. "If I had to guess, she is probably going to go rescue Rukia." The boy shrugged.

"…Rukia…?"At hearing the boy's confession, he couldn't help but allow his eyes to widen at this new information. Kuchiki Rukia? His lieutenant?

Kagome was going to go rescue Rukia?

* * *

><p>"Feeling a faint motion of spirit force towards cell four deep, I wondered what kind of powerful warrior was hiding his spirit force to slip inside…" Byakuya's voice spoke up as he stood in front of the intruder, blocking his way of escaping the narrow bridge. "But it is just a gnat."<p>

The man was having trouble just breathing while being near his spirit pressure. How pitiful…

The man made his move, running blindly towards him. He sighed and took a step forward, appearing behind him. "Disappear." He commanded him. "My sword does not exist to crush insects like you." Without even watching, he could hear the man scream in pain from his attack as blood gushed from the wound he placed onto his arm when he passed by his defenseless form moments before.

Feeling as if he did enough damage, he stared walking towards his real target, Rukia—"Hold it." The shout of the male behind him caused him to pause.

"It seems as if you do not understand words. I told you to disappear."

"Shut yer trap!" The man was already on his feet, but his wounded arm hung limply by his side, unmoving. "There ain't a single coward who'd turn tail and run from just _that!_" Byakuya looked at his immobilized arm, then back up at his face. Is he being serious? Then he added: "Not among the men of the Shiba clan!"

His words caused his eyes to widen ever so slightly. Shiba!? "I see." His expression turned cold once more. "So you are of the Shiba clan?" The same as _**that**_ man… "Then I apologize for going easy on you." reaching for his blade he slowly pulled it out of its sheath. "I shall not let you leave here alive." He raised his blade, placing it before him. In the background he could hear Rukia' pleading for him to spare him- "Scatter, Senbonzakura." But he ignored her.

With a simple flick of his wrist, the man was cut into shreds before Rukia's scream for him to run even reached him. Once the man fell onto the floor with a thud, unmoving, he turned back towards Rukia and the other boy.

Seeing the deadly intent in his eyes, Rukia got in front of the boy protectively, her arms spread out widely. "Please stop, Nii-sama!" She once again was begging to save her criminal friends pitiful life.

He raised his hilt in to the air, calling upon his blade, and they gathered, dancing above him in a circle. Her eyes widened with horror, before she clamped her eyes shut. Byakuya pulled his arm back and—He froze when a soft grip was placed upon his wrist.

"Looks like someone woke up a little _grumpy_ this morning…" Hearing the familiar voice his eyes widened and he glanced over his shoulder—Behind him, holding back his attack was none other than Kagome, a disappointed frown placed upon her face.

"L-Lady Kagome!?" Rukia called to her, a relieved look on her face.

"Hey, Rukia~!" Kagome waved to her hello, and by doing so she released the hold she had on his wrist.

Byakuya glanced at Rukia over his shoulder questionably. '_**Lady**_' Kagome? "What are you doing woman?"

"I should be asking you the same thing." She huffed, placing her hands onto her hips, the disappointed expression returning onto her face. "You were about to attack your own sister!"

"I wasn't going to attack her." He sighed. Unlike someone he could mention he has control over his powers—He paused, seeing a lone figure standing several feet behind her. "Who is that?"

"Hmm?" She glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, that's Sesshomaru." She stated as if that answered everything.

Byakuya stared passed the woman before him, his foucs on the male. That man's eyes… They were cold and filled with power. His own icy orbs narrowed at him. This man- His thoughts were put on hold with a powerful spirit force suddenly descended upon them.

"This aura." The girl beside him spoke up, looking towards the sky. He followed her line of vision and he watched as a black shadow swooped down, landing next to Rukia. His eyes widened slightly when he saw who it was. He is alive? "Carrot-top!?"

Hearing the growl coming from the girl in front of him he turned to her. "You know him." He stated more than questioned. He then remembered her reaction before, in the medical room with Renji, when he mentioned the orange-haired imposter.

"Judging by your reaction, you do too." She was ever the observant one.

As they were talking, the orange-haired Ryoka and Rukia were having a conversation of their own.

"I must apologize in advance…" He told her.

His comment caused her to pause, blinking at him. "What for?"

"In a few minutes, I am going to killing your orange-haired companion." He told her, yet she just snorted crossing her arms over her chest and looking away from him. An odd reaction when someone tells you they are going to kill their friend—

"He is not my friend." She told him.

The tension in his body he didn't even know he had, slight as it was, eased at her words. "Good." Then he will not feel as guilty when he slices the boy in half with his blade. He turned and began walking towards the boy, determination in his eyes.

Once he erases him, the chaos that is happening in Seireitei will be gone…

"You are taking it awfully easy, not attacking me, even while I talked with Rukia for so long." The boy had a smirk on his face as he too, was walking down the bridge, towards him.

"Who do you think you are speaking to?" He called to him. "Are you telling me to exploit an opening for the likes of you?" He wasn't worth it. He could defeat him easily without such tricks. "Do not speak out of your league… **boy**." He released a large amount of his spirit pressure. He watched as both his sister and the boy behind her fall onto their hands and knees, weakened. The boy was taken by surprise at first but he reached for his blade and pulled out his sword. "Oh? You are completely unaffected by this much spirit force. It seems you have improved quite a bit since our last meeting."

Byakuya glanced over his shoulders for an instant. Maybe he should have warned her to stay back—His eyes widened in surprise when he saw her talking to the male—Sesshomaru—just a few feet away, as if everything was normal. Does she not feel his power?

Deciding not to dwell on that, he turned his attention back to the boy in front of him. "I do not know how you once more obtained Death god powers, but you would have done better to live peacefully in the living world." He told him. "Who could have imagined you would come all this way to throw away the life you held onto."

"I don't intend to throw it away." The short sentence spoke volumes, and showed his full resolve and intensions. "I'm going to beat you and go home."

His words caused his eyebrow to twitch in irritation. "I told you not to speak out of your league, boy."

In that instant he appeared behind him—His eyes widened when his blade was halted, stopped by the boy's broader one. The boy glanced at him over his shoulder, a grin of satisfaction on his face. "I see you, Kuchiki Byakuya." He deflected his blade, the force sliding him back several feet. "How about it, Kuchiki? Surprised? I've got your movements read!" He seemed rather proud of himself.

"Don't get full of yourself because of a lucky strike, foolish one."

Yet the boy continued to egg him on. "Why don't we see if it was luck or not?" The boy charged. Using flash step, Byakuya once again appeared behind him—He raised his blade just in time to block an attack from the boy. "You are moving in slow motion compared to that _**monster**_." He words confused him greatly. Monster?

After several parries and lunges, Byakuya stepped back. "It is apparent you have improved more than I had thought." He admitted. "I have no choice. Before you become intoxicated by your own power, I shall show you…" Raising his sword up, he placed it in front of him, blade up. "A decisive power gap that you could not overcome in a millennium of struggle."

"Ichigo, run!" Rukia warned her friend, but it was too late.

His zanpakuto started to glow with power, as he called its name. "Scatter—" His eyes widened slightly in surprise when he saw that his blade was wrapped in a long white cloth. He followed the strip finding it connecting to—"You!" He instantly recognized her, his tone giving away his shock.

At first he believed he was looking upon a ghost… but he knew better, the woman before him was very much alive. This fact had caused a conflict within himself. On one hand he was relieved to see her alive, while the other…

"Long time no see, _Little Byakuya_."

His eyebrow gave a small twitch in annoyance at the old nickname. All these years, and she still calls him that? He is not a child anymore. "Shihouin Yoruichi." With a flick of his wrist, he easily cut the cloth. "I have not seen that face in a long time. I considered you long dead."

"Yoruichi, you came to help me didn't you?" The boy spoke up. "Thanks but… could you move out of the way?" His grip on his hilt tightened. "I have to take that guy down."

Yoruichi looked away from him, glancing at the boy over her shoulder. "Take him down?" She repeated. "You? Take _him _down?" A look of disappointment appeared on her face. "Fool." In a blur she vanished, only to reappear in front of him. Her fist flew towards his gut, but the boy reacted instinctively, dodging out of the way. By the look on her face she was clearly surprised by his quick reaction.

"What are you doing Yoru—" Kagome suddenly appeared behind him, placing her hand onto the boy's shoulder. The moment her hand made contact with him, his eyes widened in surprise "Ugh!" He gave a groan of pain and discomfort as he instantly fell onto his knees. "Damn… _woman_!" Was the last thing he was able to say, before his eyes dulled and he started to fall forward. Yoruichi was there to catch him before he fell on his face. She maneuvered him so that he was tossed over her shoulder.

"…?" Byakuya watched the exchanged, unsure of what just happened.

"What are you going to do with him?" Kagome asked, a serious look on her face.

Yoruichi looked at the girl, as if debating with herself on whether or not to tell her.

"Whatever you are going to try, it is useless." Byakuya stepped forward. "You cannot escape from here." His eyes narrowed at Yoruichi.

"Oh?" This seemed to amuse her. "You've learned to talk big, haven't you, Little Byakuya?" His eyebrow gave another twitch. "Was there even one time when you beat me in tag?" She asked, a sly smile on her face.

"In that case, shall we see?" He vanished, appearing before her, but he paused when she was no longer there, and he sensed her already behind him. He turned, and when he did he slashed his blade—His eyes widened when he caught sight of bright blue iris, and he halted his attack just before it hit her, his blade pressing against the side of her throat. "Miko!?" He saw the serious look in her eyes and his surprised expression changed to his usual cold demeanor once more. "Move." He glanced behind her, seeing Yoruichi still standing there with the boy draped over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"No." Her response caused him to look back down at the small woman standing between him and the enemy.

What does she mean: 'No'? "Out of my way, _**Kagome**_." He spoke to her in a deadly tone, and pressed his blade harder against her flesh.

"Or what? You will kill me?"

His eyes narrowed at her. "Yes." He watched as her blood oozed from the cut, and the bright liquid roll down the full length of his blade.

Yet she just smirked at his threat. "Take Carrot-top and leave. I can handle him."

"But—" Yoruichi was about to object, but Kagome spoke up once more.

"Go!"

"…" Yoruichi sighed. "Thank you." In a flash she was gone.

Byakuya pulled back his blade and turned to follow—His eyes widened when he saw Kagome standing before him once more. How did she-? He glanced over his shoulder where she was moments before, questioning how she could move so swiftly.

"Do you realize what you just did?" He glared down at her.

"Why are you doing this?" The question caught him off guard and he paused. "I know you care for Rukia- Why aren't you doing anything to save her?"

"A pointless question." His grip on the hilt of his sword tightened and he looked away from her. "Even if you knew the answer it would be quite impossible for you to understand." He tried to tell her.

"So do you really want to kill her?" Yet she kept on.

"This discussion is useless-"

"I thought you were going to kill me too, but here I am." She held her arms out wide in front of her.

"_Don't come near me again, or next time, I __**will**__ kill you."_

She was right. He did say that, didn't he? He looked down at the woman he stood before him bravely. Obviously this woman does not have any fear towards him. It seems he will have to show her he was serious—maybe then she will stay away from him… far, far away… Where she belonged.

"Then so be it." He dash forward, attacking her—He paused when she vanished before his eyes.

"So I am your opponent now… _Little _Byakuya." She teased, her voice brushing across his ear.

His eyebrow twitched at the nickname. He vanished, swiping at her back, but he froze when she once again disappeared. She was fast—

He felt a soft touch upon his chest. "Ugh!" His eyes grew in disbelieve when a strong pressure was placed upon him, almost bring him to his knees. What is this… power? Was this… what that boy felt? A pulse shook him, and he leaned over in pain, his lungs burning.

"When you attack, you hit to kill. You can't attack me halfheartedly, Byakuya." Her breath was once again next to his ear, echoing clearly in his mind. "That will get you killed." She removed her hand, jumped away from him, and he gave a small gasp for air as he placed his hand onto his chest.

"Very well." He slowly stood up to his full height, narrowing his eyes at her. "If you wish to die, I will not object to your desire." He placed his blade in front of him… face down. He then let go of his sword. "Bankai." He called forth his most powerful attack. "Scatter, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

Once the words left his mouth, he felt a wave of energy enter him, and he watched as a wave of pink flew past him, towards her—His breath caught in his throat when he felt a gently touch on his cheek. He looked down, finding himself staring into dark blue. When did she-?

Irritation started to boil within him, his emotions getting carried away. His Bankai responded, and flew towards them, yet they halted once they came near the safe zone. He balled his hands into fists by his side knowing he couldn't do anything while she was this close to him—unless…

With a swipe of his hand, he called forth his petals, sending them where they wouldn't normal go, into the safe zone so they could strike the enemy—A pink light blocked the attack, and he looked in disbelief when he noticed there was a pink sphere circling around them. A barrier?

"!" His eyes widened in surprise, for it was in that moment that Byakuya realized what just happened. This girl… This was her plan all along.

She purposely agitated him into attacking her.

"_I thought you were going to kill me too, but here I am." She held her arms out wide in front of her. _

Then tricked him into using his Bankai.

_His eyes grew in disbelieve when a strong pressure was placed upon him, almost bring him to his knees. What is this… power?_

But this girl, there was no way she knew what his Bankai was. She only saw his Shikai once—Was that all it took? Or did she really see through his one weakness, his safe zone, that quickly…? Impossible! Yet as he stood there, staring into her blue pools, he knew deep down that this woman… defeated him... without even lifting a finger.

Her other hand reached up, and gently cupped his other cheek as a sad expression was on her face. "Why won't you save her, Byakuya?" Not this again.

"We have nothing further to discuss on that matter." He turned his head away and she smirked.

"Still acting tough, Little Byakuya?" She teased. "You know you have nowhere to go. You are trapped..." She reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck. "With me."

"A nightmare." He mumbled beneath his breath and she gasped in shock at him.

"You are very mean, you know that?" Yet she looked at him with a sad expression. "I know you are strong enough to just take her away from here, why won't you."

He could feel a growl threating to rumbling in his chest. "Because it is the law." He told her. "The law states that Rukia be…" He hesitated for a moment. "That she be executed." He looked down at her. "I cannot disobey the rules."

"Why?" This seemed to confuse her. "Don't you care? Isn't her life worth breaking the rules?"

"Of course I care." He finally confessed in his fit of annoyance. "But I am one of the four royal families. If we don't obey the rules, then who will?"

"Byakuya…" She looked at him with pity in her orbs and shook her head. "What if I was the one who was going to be executed, would you still let them?" Her question caused him to pause for a moment.

"No." She sighed in relief at his words- "I would request to be your personal executioner."

"Ass!" She huffed, smacking him on the chest. He smirked at her reaction, finding it mildly amusing. "I was trying to make you feel some remorse, but I see you don't have any, you popsicle!"

Her emotions started to spike around her, and he glanced up, noticing that the barrier flickered—His eyes widened, and before his thoughts could process what he was doing, he reached out and pulled her into his arms and turned his back-.

"Ugh!" He gave a grunt in pain when a thousand needle-like blades descended upon him, shredding his back and blood instantly gushing forth from the wounds.

"Byakuya!" Her worried shout barely reached his already ringing ears.

He gave another groan, blood leaking from his mouth as he weakly fell onto his knees. Her hands were placed onto either side of his face in concern as she looked down at him, trying to keep his eyes from closing by patting his cheeks while calling his name. But his eyelids felt so heavy… He couldn't fight the urge, and he ultimately gave in, closing them as his body began to feel cold.

A glow formed on the ground around him, as his zanpakuto returned to its original blade from, and he winced, knowing what that meant. He was near death… by his own attack.

The irony of it was almost worth laughing about—He felt something touch his lips hesitantly, and warmth suddenly started to fill him. He slowly opened his eyes, and his grey orbs widened in shock when he realized what was happening. He kneeled there, unable to move until she broke the kiss, pulling her soft lips away from his.

"Sorry…I know you are mad but…" She took a few steps back, to give him space, but a look of concern was in her blue orbs. "I couldn't let you die like that, not when you did it to save me."

As he looked at the girl standing before him, he couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking—Jumping in to save her like that—and her, kissing him to save his life. God, his life has been nothing but chaotic ever since she walked past him that day…

He could feel the confusion and irritation settle in him as he slowly brought himself into a standing position. "Thank you." But still yet, he thanked her, for she did save his life, and it would be rude of him not to do so.

"Well, what do you know?" Hearing the amusement in her tone he glanced up at her questionably. "You're not a cold and heartless as you pretend to be, you softy." She smiled up at him.

He took a deep breath and sighed. Maybe he should have just let his attack kill her after all…

"It's been fun, but I have to go now." She spoke to him. "Carrot-top acted tough but I saw the blood coming out of his wounds, he probably needs some help. I can't let him die, he's my only way home." Carrot-top? Does she mean that boy? "Rukia!" She called to his sister. "Stay tight, I'll be back later with the idiot and free you!" She waved to her a smile on her face, yet Rukia just blinked at her in confusion. "I'll be seeing you around, Little Byakuya."

He watched as she walked away, and he reached out as if to catch her—she suddenly vanished and his expression turned serious. He then took a step forward, using his flash step and going to follow her-

"!" He stumbled, his breath catching in his throat when he felt something suddenly rip through his chest.

He slowly looked down, and his orbs widened when he saw a blade pierced through him, the cold steel hitting it's mark: His heart. His body felt paralyzed in horror, and he slowly reached up to grasp the blade. His hand touched fabric, and when it did, the heavy weight upon him disappeared. He stared at his chest, stunned, the blade gone.

He patted his chest, checking for a wound or pain, but there was none. It was as if it was never there. Was it a hallucination? Yet when he looked up, his eyes landed on the man standing several feet away.

"If you wish to pursue her, spirit, you will have to go through me."

"_Who is that?" _

"_Hmm?" She glanced over her shoulder. "Oh, that's Sesshomaru." She stated as if that answered everything. _

Byakuya's eyes narrowed at him in challenge. "Then so be it."

* * *

><p>Yay, gotta lov'em cliff hangers. Review! Tell me what you guys thought of it! XD<p>

Remember to cast who you would like to see Kagome paired up with so I can add it to the list for my one-shot crossover collection! Until then, see you on the next update!


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